The Demigod Trap
by winonabcd
Summary: Piper has never felt so... incomplete. Ever since Jason left to go back to Camp Jupiter, the Roman camp, to resume his duties as camp leader... well, she didn't feel very happy. Drew OOC notices this, and comes up with a masterplan to bring them back.
1. Disclaimer

**DISCLAIMER:**

**I DO NOT OWNPERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS  
>ALL RIGHTS GO TO RICK RIORDAN HIMSELF<strong>


	2. PROLOGUE

Piper walked through the thick layer of snow, watching the tiny snowflakes drop slowly onto the ground. Each of them was a speck of dust, but none of them look alike. None of them had the exact same pattern, each one of them unique. Piper wished she were like snowflakes, then she wouldn't need to worry much on the problem she had at the moment.

She twirled a strand of hair around her fingers, watching the snowflakes dance around her. Mr. D had allowed snow to enter the camp borders, after some camper protests. The snow was thick, and was halfway to her knees.

She shivered at the touch of the cold wind, reminding her of the time Jason, her friend Leo, and her had went to meet Boreas. Man was the wind cold.

Her snowboarding jacket flew wildly more a mere second, before going calm. Sometimes it happened. The wind would get strong, only for a second, before becoming really calm again. From wild, to calm and collected. Just like Piper. Well, sort of, in a way anyways.

Past memories flashed in her mind, memories of the time she stole a BMW from a car dealer. Well, she didn't really _steal_ the BMW. She _talked_ him into _giving_ it to her. You see, Piper had this rare gift; the gift of charmspeak. Only few of the Aphrodite kids had that ability, which included her and her half-sister Drew.

Drew used to be a snobby brat, who didn't really care much about, well, people. Until she met her "prince charming". He was this guy from the Apollo cabin, with the typical Apollo features. He had soft blond hair and ocean blue eyes, and a tanned skin. When he smiles, his dimples show, making him look cuter in the process. Piper could see why Drew likes him. And Piper could sort of see why he liked Drew.

She sighed, wishing she could have a boyfriend. It's been _months_ since the war, and everything was almost back to normal. Almost.

When she started her journey as a demigod, she started it with Jason and Leo, her two best buds. They did everything together, and even took part in the Great Prophecy together. But then _he_ had to leave. _He_ had to go back to the Roman camp–Camp Jupiter–to resume his position as camp leader. Why didn't they just _combine_ the two camps?

One word. Reyna. She was this pretty girl Jason really liked, well, as far as Piper could tell, and didn't agree to the conditions. The rest her legion, the Twelfth Legion, agreed with her, no doubt. Even her dogs, her automatons, Aurum and Argentium, agreed with her. Of course they would. They, like, protect her _with their lives_.

Aurum and Argentium were these silver and gold dog-automatons, with startling ruby eyes. Apparently, Reyna was _very _important, and they guarded her like she was _royalty_. Piper couldn't compete with _that_. She figured Reyna could suck Jason's face as much as she liked.

Of course, she wasn't exactly . . . fine with that. She's been frustrated for days, weeks, _months_, just thinking about it. She felt lost, and for once (more like the millionth time), she felt clueless and unsure what to do.

Drew watched her sister paced around the cabin area in the thick snow, her choppy chocolate brown hair covering her kaleidoscope eyes. Her eyes were flashing colors–brown, green, blue–as well as emotions. She watched as her sister's eyes morphed from happiness, to sadness, to clueless, to devastated, and finally, to being utterly confused.

As much as Drew hated Piper in the first place, she felt sorry for her. Secretly, she didn't think she was half that bad. She was jealous, a common Aphrodite sense that knocked into her whenever a girl sees another girl that might have potential in taking _her_ guy. And it didn't help when Jason arrived with them.

But Austin, her current boyfriend, was great. Hades, he might be better than Jason could ever be. Scratch that. He _is_ better than Jason could ever be. To her, at the very least.

Her dark hair blew in the wind, making her ringlets look more like curls. Her hand rose to her necklace, the necklace Austin had given her on her birthday. She always grabbed it when she felt sorry for someone's love life, or when she just felt truly sorry. No sarcasm intended.

Piper's slim body disappeared into the distance. _Probably heading to Bunker 9,_ Drew thought, frowning. She never liked Bunker 9. It was always filled with grease, and oil, and dirt . . . and Hephaestus kids.

Now that Jason was gone, Piper only had one best friend–Leo. It wasn't a bad thing, but everyone could tell that Piper wasn't as cheerful as before.

"Do you think we should fix this?" a tiny voice asked from beside her, making her jump. She turned back to peer inside the cabin doorway, from where she was spying on Piper's fading figure. Beside her, her younger half-sister Lacy was standing, staring at her with her big brown eyes.

Drew thought for a second. What had _Piper_ done for _her_? She _did_ help set Austin and her up . . . one way or another. She arranged the date, and helped Austin get the guts to ask her out. But that was two months ago. If she repaid her favor (though more like her help, because she never really asked), then she would have to repay her _entire cabin_, including Katie Gardner from the Demeter cabin and her boyfriend Travis Stoll. Nuh-uh. She'll do this for, uh . . . sister love. Yeah, that's it.

She grinned at the blonde girl next to her. Her long hair was three inches below her shoulders, in tight pigtails. Her braces were now bubblegum pink and electric blue. Drew made a mental note to tell her to make the colors softer.

She shook the thought out of her head, and smiled cheekily at her younger sister. "Definitely," she finally answered, making Lacy beam her blinding white smile.

The older demigod went to look at the forest, staring at the footprints in the deep snow as the snowflakes started to cover them. She smiled a devilish grin. This was going to be _fun_.


	3. Chapter 1: Phase One Complete

Chapter 1: Phase One Complete

Piper ran her fingers through her chocolate brown hair. It had grown at least a few centimeters, making the choppy hair look less choppy. She zipped up her snowboarding jacket. The winter weather made it feel freezing cold, even though it couldn't have been less than five degrees cold.

She traced the outline of Bunker 9's boulder, the boulder that sealed her out. Leo had _tried_ to make the boulder open by a touch of a non-Hephaestus kid, but it didn't work. So what ingenious idea did they come up with instead? A musical doorbell.

She pressed the snow-white button, and the melody of bells rang through the area, only to be stopped short by the sound of deadly electric guitars. She rolled her eyes at the silly idea. Why couldn't they just install a song or something?

The boulder slid open, and torches sparked to life on the walls. Dim white lights shone on the ceiling, lighting the hollow corridor faintly. She sighed. Leo and his dramatic cabin.

She took a step inside, and the boulder closed, sealing them in. Her footsteps echoed on the rock hard ground, as her boots made a silent _squish, squish, squish_ noise. Finally, she reached the end of the hall, where the lighting was brightest. She pressed a button, and another boulder slid open, revealing the secret (well, not so secret) workplace of Cabin 9.

The main room was where all the biggest projects were made. From there, smaller tunnels led to other different rooms, going to the tiniest earth chamber of all. The earth chambers were really private workplaces for the Hephaestus kids, and each of them had a little something to protect their chambers.

She walked down one of the tunnels, until it led to a boulder, hiding one of the famous chambers. An intercom was place a couple feet before the boulder. She pressed the green button, and the sound of a robotic female voice blurted out, "Hello, how may I help you?"

"Command G, beta-traps, disable," Piper said in the best Hephaestus-kid-like voice she could muster. Leo had given her the commands to disable his traps, and how to enable it again.

"Shutting down," the robotic voice replied, and the traps started to reveal themselves, shutting off before her very eyes, before disappearing back to where they came from. "All clear," the voice confirmed, and Piper knew it was safe to walk.

She went to the door and put her hand on the hand-scanner Leo had installed. Only two people can go in: Leo and her.

The words HAND DETECTED flashed across the scanner, and a green laser went down the pad. Piper waited for a while, until the words CONFIRMED flashed, and the boulder slid wide open.

Leo was standing at the side of the room, his skin covered with grease and oil. In his hand was a three-pound hammer. His army jacket was stained with grease and . . . taco sauce. He had tiny bags under his eyes, hardly noticeable.

"Leo!" Piper yelled, getting his attention.

"Huh? What?" The demigod lifted his head, to face the daughter of Aphrodite. He studied her for a mere second.

Her hair was still choppy, and her eyes were misty and unclear. Colors flashed in her eyes, from blue, to green, to brown. She was wearing her pink snowboarding jacket and some camp clothes. She looked pretty normal, as far as Leo was concerned.

Ever since Jason left, Piper was never the same. Leo took care of her—more or less—and made sure she was still pretty much normal.

He wiped his greasy hands on his army jacket, and put the hammer down. He grinned at her. "So, what's up?"

She shrugged. "Got bored," she answered. Yep, she changed.

"How 'bout we go to the Big House to deliver this new defense system Mr. D ordered?" he said, taking a large cardboard box from beside him. A THIS WAY UP sticker was plastered onto the box. He shook the box slightly, and metal sounded from the inside. "Of course, I'm going to have to put the pieces together, but I'm sure he can do it himself."

Piper laughed and grabbed a smaller box. "I'm guessing this is the alert system Chiron ordered a few days ago?"

Leo nodded. Since the war was over, the Hephaestus cabin offered to make things for people. They haven't thought of a company name, but now they spent free hours and weekends in the bunker, making people's orders. Of course, Mr. D and Chiron could ask for anything for free, but when it came to the campers, they had to pay. Sometimes in drachmas, sometimes in mortal cash.

Piper grabbed the clipboard with the list of orders that week, and the two friends headed out the workplace. She scanned the list of orders, trying to get her mind off _him_. When _he_ was still here, the three of them delivered the orders, going all over camp and handing their respective boxes. But they only did that for three days. Until _he_ had to leave.

She shook her head. Who cares about _him_? There's plenty of fish in the sea. Leo eyed her friend carefully. He wondered what was buzzing in that head of hers. Hopefully, it wasn't something that might damage her wires. He shook his head. He had to remember that Piper was an _organic life form, not_ an _automaton_.

A big, blue, four-story-building loomed over them, the white rims of the building making it look sort of . . . country-ish. Piper followed Leo, walking towards the porch, when they heard a group of girls arguing.

"But Chiron, you _have_ to let us! This is a life or death situation!"

"Amber, I don't think this concerns anything between _life_ and _death_."

"It does, Chiron! I mean, what part of this plan doesn't scream _life or death_?"

"If you don't agree, camp's doomed for sure!"

"Kylie, please lower your voice. And Marina, this plan might cause a rampage at camp. I can't let you do this."

"But Chiron—"

Piper's eyes widened when she heard those voices. Amber. Kylie. Marina. Her sisters. What was her cabin doing here? She had to find out.

She stepped on the porch, and cleared her throat. Of course, that didn't work. She tried getting their attention, but no matter how hard she tried, her sisters' screams and complains was louder than she could muster.

"Let me, beauty queen," Leo smirked. He gently put the box on the ground, and his fingers to his mouth. Just then, he did a loud whistle, making everyone, including the centaur himself, jump.

Her sisters' eyes widened when they saw Piper, and she could see panic written all over their faces. Even Lacy looked worried to see her. Drew was just sitting on a chair in the corner, staring at her nails, ignoring her surroundings. Piper rolled her eyes. Typical Drew.

She stared at the pink-covered bunch. "Alright, what are you guys doing here?" she asked, her eyebrow raised. Being the counselor of their cabin, it was only right she knew what they were up to.

They all hesitated. Finally, little Tess spoke up. "We wanted to do a talk-show," she whispered softly. The winds around them grew colder, and Piper shivered due to the cold.

"Why . . . would . . . you . . . want to . . . do that?" Piper asked, her teeth shattering. She gripped hold of Leo's wrist, and she felt warmth overtaking her. That was the good part about having a fire-user friend.

"Yeah," Leo said slowly. "I mean, you guys always come up with stupid ideas. Like last time, when Chiron said that the Aphrodite cabin could come up with an activity for everyone to do. Why did you guys make us do a _fashion show_?"

Drew glared at him. "We are capable of getting great ideas, thank you very much. If I were you, _Leo_, I'd stick out of our business." Her eyes glared at Leo's soul, and he shivered at the glare.

Piper turned to look at Chiron. "It's only right, you know," she decided. Chiron raised an eyebrow at the daughter of Aphrodite. She was different from her siblings. Why did she agree on this?

Piper sighed, knowing the look on her trainer's face. "Look. Ever since the war ended, cabins have been searching for things to do. Athena is doing building design, Leo's cabin is offering an 'Order and We Make It!' service, Apollo's offering to do record deals and stuff, and Demeter are helping with the strawberry sales, by selling them outside of camp and _within_ camp. Each cabin has something, and they earn money for it. Aphrodite hasn't been doing anything. It's only right we get our share."

Her whole cabin beamed, and nodded wildly at Chiron, agreeing with their counselor. Drew smiled. Give the situation to Piper, and she'll sort things out for you. Not bad for a Dumpster Girl.

"Yeah Chiron. Piper's great at deliveries, but it's only right she has her own company thing too," Leo chimed in, hoping to raise their voice. An idea popped in his head. "We can get it on Hephaestus TV. And if the gods want to watch it, they'll have to pay for the channel. Once a month would do."

Piper nodded. "I'm sure Hephaestus would like to help," she added, praying to Leo's dad, hoping that he would agree.

Chiron sighed, knowing that he has lost the battle. "Alright, you can have your talk-show."

The girls, minus Piper, squealed in excitement as they, minus Drew, all rushed to hug their cabin counselor. They screamed and squealed a bunch of _thank you's_ and ran off to their cabin.

Chiron eyed the boxes they were carrying. "Are those our orders? Come on, bring them inside."

* * *

><p>Lacy painted another one of her nails violet. Right now, her whole cabin, including the boys, was inside, chatting away. The boys were talking about the latest action movies, while the girls did each other's nails and hair.<p>

"Can you believe we managed to pull that through?" Stephanie, one of her sisters, laughed. They had told the boys their plan, and they all seemed pretty excited with the plan.

Jessica, the cheeriest Aphrodite girl, squealed. "I can't believe Piper stood up to us, without knowing what our plan was!"

Marina nodded in agreement, her bleach blond hair bouncing as she did. "We have to plan our first segment. We also need a room to shoot the whole thing, and a camera man and crew," she said logically. Lacy shook her head. If she didn't know any better, she was probably a daughter of Athena.

"She's right, you know," Drew said, as if she read Lacy's mind. "We have to visit Athena's cabin tomorrow, and get them to build us a whole studio right behind our cabin. And we need cameramen and crew." She turned to the boys, who did a thumbs up.

"How much drachmas do we have left?" little Tess, who was no more than nine, piped up, hoping to join the planning.

Kylie got up and ran to Piper's bedside table, and took out a soft pink box with Piper's neat handwriting written on top of the lid. _Cabin 10's Savings_. There was a lock that can only be open by placing a charm on the lock. Only three people had that charm. She turned to Lacy and Mitchell.

"Does anyone of you have the dove charm with you right now?" she asked, showing them the box.

Mitchell pointed his thumb over his shoulder, at a cupboard in the corner. That means it's somewhere inside. "I got it," Lacy said, carefully taking off the charm that hung around her neck. She tossed the necklace to Kylie, who caught it easily. She pressed the charm against the lock, and it started to glow pink. Thank Aphrodite it was an enchanted lock.

They all smiled, thinking of the same thing. "Plan Jasper is underway."

* * *

><p><strong>What do you think? I'm thinking I should change the name of the story. Which one do you like better? "The Plan" or "The Set-Up"? Tell me if you have more interesting ideas!<strong>

**Random Fact: This chapter had 2011 words in it! And guess what? This is the year 2011! (I didn't do this intentionally)**

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**valerie321: The scheme? I'll give you a little spoiler. The talk-show is only _part_ of it ;)**

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**REVIEW PLEASE!  
>SEND ME A BOOST OF<br>ENCOURAGEMENT! **


	4. Chapter 2: The Talk of Today

Chapter 2: The Talk of Today

It didn't take long for them to get the place built. The Athena cabin designed a really cool studio for them to shoot in, and it didn't cost much. Well, originally, it would've cost them _a million_, but with some 'persuasion' from Piper and Drew, they managed to get the blueprints for only twenty drachmas.

Since Piper was working for the Hephaestus's 'Order and We Make It', they got a discount, so it only cost them a few hundred drachmas for them to build the rest studio _plus_ the décor. Amazing.

The cameras were easy to get. Hermes decided to sell stuff (well, people's stuff anyways, but they don't know that), making their very own Garage Sale. Throughout the whole junk, they managed to find three cameras, the ones that you'll most likely find in a studio, and more filming things hidden beneath the electronics.

Leo helped them out voluntarily, because Piper helped his cabin out voluntarily. When Piper was busy delivering his work, Leo took over Piper's job and did her duties as producer and, sometimes, director.

After a week of building and preparations, Cabin 10 had around fifty drachmas left, which they all kept, just in case. Hephaestus was actually _paying_ them to make sure they keep filming new episodes, so that he could have a pre-paid show on Hephaestus TV.

The first schedule was done. Drew decided not to blow their plan up, so she had insisted that they did an interview with Annabeth as the first episode. Piper agreed, and set Annabeth up, 'inviting' her to come to their talk show.

The Aphrodite kids started to get ready. Drew sat on the _assistant director_ seat, right next to Piper, who was director for the day. Lacy, Stephanie and Jessica was busy doing make-up, while Marina and Kylie were preparing themselves to be hosts on the show.

Everyone had a job, and everyone was hurrying about.

Piper paced back and forth. They agreed that they would do their first airing LIVE, with the episode showing a couple times later on during the week. It was only minutes away before they had to go on air, and Annabeth hasn't even arrived yet.

Suddenly, the doors burst open, to reveal Annabeth, covered in pure white snow from head to toe. A powder blue scarf covered her neck tightly, as the winds roared behind her. She slammed the doors shut, and slid down to the floor, exhausted.

"I thought I'd never make it here alive," she muttered. Piper's gaze switched to the window, where the snow was heavily brewing outside. A snowstorm was happening, which meant that everyone would be inside the cabins, and hopefully, watching this show. Bonus point.

Piper turned to her sisters, who were busy applying make-up on Marina and Kylie's faces. "Stephanie, take Annabeth for make-up. Make it quick, we've only got three minutes 'til air," she ordered, and the said girl dragged the daughter of Athena in front of a make-up table.

As Stephanie changed Annabeth into a much better outfit, Piper sighed in her chair, thinking about Jason. Somehow, her mind always drifts to him, wondering about what might happen next. She missed him, and she could only hope that he misses her.

Suddenly, realization popped in her mind. If this was on Hephaestus TV, does that mean that the Romans are watching this as well?

"Piper," a deep voice acknowledge, snapping her out of her thoughts. Her eyes shifted to a man standing before her, his dark brown beard sparking with real flames. She knew this man. It was Hephaestus himself, calling her through Iris Message.

"Hephaestus," she simply greeted, not knowing what else to say to her supposedly-stepfather.

Hephaestus nodded, as if he accepted the way she greeted him. "You have one minute 'til air. When that big red clock goes _GONG!_ I expect to see you on my TV," he said, pointing to a big red clock, just below to the words ON AIR.

Piper nodded, and Hephaestus's hand swatted the image. Their connection broke.

She watched as her brothers quickly set the camera, lighting and sound. Mitchell sat in the sound box, and was in charge of playing the theme music, sound, and playing music in general.

Her other brother, Ryan, sat in the computer room with her other brother, Matthew, and was in charge of making sure everything was right and perfect, and was in charge of editing while ON AIR.

"Alright, we have thirty seconds 'til air. Kylie and Marina, get on stage, and get Annabeth on stage as well!" she heard Drew's voice scream, and the said girls rushed on stage.

Drew nodded at Piper, and she smiled. She checked the clock. "Five, four, three, two, ONE!" Piper counted, and the clock gonged, while the words ON AIR flashed red, buzzing as it did so.

"Good afternoon Olympus, and welcome to _The Talk of Today_! I'm your host Marina White," Marina began, and faced her sister.

"And I'm Kylie Gray. Hey, don't you think it's funny how we both have colors as our last names?" her sister asked. Piper smiled. Marina and Kylie were best friends, and they were naturals when it came to hosting talk shows.

"I know right! It's so weird!" Marina laughed, her laugh like church bells ringing throughout a town. "Well, as for our first ever guest, please welcome the amazing Annabeth Chase, all the way from the Athena Cabin!"

"You know that isn't far, right?" Kylie's head turned to face her sister, as she tucked her brown hair behind her ear. "It's just right next door."

Marina shrugged. "Oh well. Now let's welcome, Annabeth Chase!"

Piper pointed at Darren, whose camera was now focused on the whole stage. Since there were five cameras (Leo found another two during the week), they decided to get five different shots; Marina, either up close or not, Kylie, the guest, Marina and Kylie together, and all three of them, along with the guest.

Ryan got the signal and clicked the fifth screen. He looked at Drew to see if he did it right, and she nodded. On the TV in front of her, the whole stage was being shot. She smiled, and gave her brother a thumbs up.

Annabeth did a little wave at the camera, as her image popped up on the TV screen, up close this time.

"So tell me, Annabeth, what does your name really mean?" Marina asked. Piper smiled, and shook her head. They had tried to come up with great questions, and they tried to figure out a great way to start the questions. This had to be the lamest one they came up with.

"I'm not sure really," Annabeth replied, her eyebrows scrunching, just like the way when she was thinking hard. "I've never really thought about it. But now that you mentioned it, if you arrange the letters, and take away some of the extra letters, you'll find the word _Athena_ hidden in my name."

"So basically it's just _Athena_ and a bunch of other letters?" Kylie asked, jumping into the conversation.

Annabeth thought for a while, before nodding. "Yeah, I guess."

"Awesome!" Kylie squealed, and Piper used all the willpower she had to restrain herself from laughing. It was _obvious_ the squeal was fake. Annabeth frowned at this, and Marina just smiled. "Now, what's it like being the architect of Olympus?"

Annabeth's face lit up, and began spluttering words that Piper probably couldn't care less about. Sure, it was interesting and all, but when Annabeth starts to talk about architecture, it's hard to pay attention.

Annabeth noticed that Kylie and Marina were just nodding their heads, so she sighed. "It's an honor, actually. It's really awesome to achieve my dream, far more earlier than I could really have."

Kylie pretended to snap awake. "Oh, did you say anything Annabeth? I didn't pay attention." This caused a laugh from Annabeth and Marina, and a couple of laughter from the crew. Piper motioned at Ryan to erase the extra voices, which he did.

"Alright now, we heard that you got your title as official architect after saving Olympus. We _also_ heard that that was around the time Percy was offered immortality. What did you think when he turned it down?" Marina asked, her lips curling into a sly smile.

Annabeth's eyes widened, and her cheeks turned pink. Piper smiled mischievously. Her cabin had agreed that they were going to make it an all time Percabeth, Percy and Annabeth, moment, until it was time to end the show.

"Uh, I guess I was happy," she replied bluntly.

Kylie scooted closer to Annabeth. "Aw, _come on_! We need adjectives! Tell us how you felt!" Her voice was pleading her with every word, and Annabeth hesitated.

She sighed, and gave in. "Like I said, I _was _happy he gave up immortality. And I'm still happy about that even now. I remembered what he told me, right before the camp ambushed us on his birthday . . . he gave up immortality just for me. I'm not a lovesick Aphrodite girl, no offense—" both Marina and Kylie just shrugged "—but I find it surprisingly sweet. I mean, no one has done that ever since . . . you know. I was actually _afraid_ I might lose him. I'm glad he didn't accept that offer. He can be such a Seaweed Brain sometimes." She shook her head, her princess curls bouncing lightly.

"Wow," Marina breathed. "That was . . . deep. I never thought you'd be an Aphrodite girl, Annabeth! It's not a bad thing, of course, since I'm an Aphrodite girl myself, but I never figured, you'd be that . . . it's just . . . wow."

Kylie nodded. "Yeah, me too. It's amazing how little you know about people. Alright, next question. How did you feel when you first kissed Percy?"

Annabeth turned red once again. "I guess it felt . . . good. I'd give you that. I don't know how to describe it. I don't think there's even a _word_ to describe the feeling."

Piper smiled. She didn't think there was a word to describe her feelings towards Jason either. Annabeth was in love. She wanted to go to that stage, and share that stage with someone who loved her back, just as much as Percy did with Annabeth.

"Alright, thanks for being on the show! Be sure to check out Cabin 6's store, 'Architecture and More'! We'll be seeing you another afternoon, at this time, this day, only on Hephaestus TV! Goodbye everybody! See you again!" Kylie chided, and Marina waved and said goodbye.

"And we're out!" Piper announced, as the whole studio bursts into applause and cheers. "Awesome job everybody! Let's start working on the next schedule tomorrow, right after archery!"

Everyone cheered with anticipation, and Piper walked up to thank Annabeth for being their first guest. Drew smiled at her sister, and chuckled mysteriously. Oh Piper. Little did she know she was about to experience the exact same thing.

* * *

><p><strong>Hey! I'm sorry this was less than 2,000 words, but I have to go real soon. Anyways, I hope you like this chapter. And 14 reviews just for two chapters? Pretty amazing! Oh, and not to mention the prologue :P<strong>

**Reply to your reviews:**

**Agana of the Night: Thanks! I hope you liked this chapter!**

**Daydreamer63: Thanks! This is the way I see Drew. She's sorta my best friend, in my world, anyways. Ha-ha. And check out the title! I hope you liked that!**

**XxForseeingHadesFuturexX: Did this brighten up another morning? I hope so XD**

**angwyn-Angela: I know! I remember you! I recognize your name anywhere. Well, on my story's reviews, anyways. Thanks so much for all the support! May God bless you too in every way ;)**

**lala45768: Was this a good update? :)**

**valerie325: yes XD I think she seemed all high and all that in the picture... not exactly how I imagined her. And if you read back in the prologue, you can see I used Riordan's updates on the TSON characters!**


	5. Chapter 3: The Ticket

Chapter 3: The Ticket

Jason walked around the campgrounds, his sneakers making footprints in the deep snow. The weather in Camp Jupiter was much more quiet than the one in Camp Half-Blood. He had checked the weather channel on The Aeolus Channel early that morning, and saw that Dionysus was planning on sending a blizzard on Camp Half-Blood grounds later that afternoon.

He shivered at the cold weather and zipped his snowboarding jacket even further. He had to get to the training area and train. He didn't want Lupa strangling him by the throat.

"Jason!" he heard a voice. A twinkling, melodious voice. He turned around, to see the girl he didn't want to see—Reyna, with her two mechanical dogs trailing behind her. Her flowing purple Roman toga was tucked under a beige winter coat. She was wearing a muff, to protect her cold hands.

Jason sighed. "Yes, Reyna?"

"Do you think we can hang out during free period?" Jason mentally screamed, "No!" The problem was, Reyna wasn't Piper. She wasn't as loving as Piper, and was too . . . Roman. All she did was train, and train, and train. Piper wasn't like that. She was more loose and outgoing, and not firm and so . . . possessive.

"I can't," he tried to lie. "I promised Lupa I'd take an extra training lesson. Now if you excuse me, I have to go."

Jason turned on his heel, and left the girl there. He could hear her automaton's growling at him, and he could imagine Reyna's face full of reject and disbelief. He sighed. Honestly, he didn't like hurting people—not that way. But he didn't like her. To him, she was just another friend.

He reached the training area to see Lupa, training with all the other demigods. Some were doing archery, some were sparring, and some others were building up their speed. He grabbed his gladius and went up to Lupa.

_You're late,_ he heard her voice growl, her piercing voice trying to control her rage.

"Sorry," Jason said sincerely. He bowed respectively before the mother wolf. "Reyna stopped me while I was on the way here."

Lupa kept her scowl and but softened just a tad bit. She sighed, if that was even possible, and turned to face the Son of Jupiter. _Very well_. _Get training, young pup_.

Jason nodded, and raced off to find a sparring partner. Everyone was busy slashing around, slicing up each other's hands and feet. He could see blood pouring out. The Greeks were slightly tamer when it came to training.

"Need a partner?" a deep voice asked. He turned around to see Frank, a chubby boy who was amazing with the bow and arrow. Frank was different from other demigods, because of his unnatural talent—the ability to shape-shift.

Jason grinned at his buddy. "Alright," he agreed. "You on the bow, and me on the sword?"

"Sounds like a plan." Frank's lips grew into a grin, as he took out his bow and a quiver of arrows. This was going to be hard, especially because he was using a long-ranged weapon, while he needed to get up close to use his.

Frank ran uphill, running towards some large boulders. Jason didn't lose a second to chase after him. He felt the wind rush past his face, messing up his short-cropped hair. His electric blue eyes scanned the crowd for the pudgy demigod, trying to locate him and chase him down once again.

His eyes darted to the boulders, to see Frank with a mischievous grin on his face. His arrow was already pulled back, and was ready to be released. Jason had two options, to face the arrow, or to run back, and figure out a way to get to the chubby boy.

Of course, he took the first option. He faced the arrow head-on. He couldn't exactly _see_ where the arrow was, but he could feel where it was, and the winds helped him to know how fast the arrow was heading towards him.

Winds. An idea popped in his head. He concentrated on the winds, imagining them stirring violently, ripping the arrow to shreds. He felt the wind battle around him, its howls piercing through his ears.

His eyes shot open, to reveal the deep pools of blue in them. They were intense. Jason imagined the arrow go _SNAP_! The winds still fought their battle. Everywhere, demigods tried to keep their stand. He could feel the arrow getting closer and closer. One last push . . .

_SNAP!_ The noise echoed throughout the whole area, as loud as screeching bats. His hands immediately shot up to his ears, covering them to block as much noise as he could. His blue eyes shot up to the boulders, to see that Frank had disappeared.

Suddenly, a ball of flame headed towards him. He dodged it, and smacked it away with his sword. The flame hit the ground, landing on the soft snow. The white layer melted slowly at the touch of the flaming red, to reveal the dirty brown hidden underneath.

The flame flickered and changed, morphing to another figure. Slowly, it grew bigger, to reveal Frank, rubbing his head. A bump had formed on the top of his forehead, and his dark brown eyes glared at Jason in hatred. Well, not real hatred anyways. More like playful hatred.

"Jason Grace," he sneered, but his eyes were twinkling. "You _will_ pay for that!"

He raced towards Jason, his speed incredibly fast for such a chubby boy. Jason ran, his gladius in his hand, as he tried to blend in among the demigod crowd. He raced between fights, hoping that he would be lost in the sea of the battles.

No such luck. Frank was hot on his trail. There was no losing the boy. He had morphed into a wolf this time, running faster than a usual human. Of course. Wolves are natural hunters. They _had_ to have amazing speed.

Suddenly, a fast fuzzy image tackled him down onto the freezing white blanket, and his skin tingled at the cold. His eyes focused, and his saw a big gray wolf, pinning him to the ground.

"Did you really think you would win that easily?" he laughed. Jason frowned. Frank's wolf paws clutched him tightly, trapping him on the ground. He gripped his gladius tighter. Only a tiny move . . .

_SLASH! _Wolf Frank let out a howl, as his image flickered, and grew back to that same pudgy boy. He knelt to the ground in pain, clutching his right hand. Blood trickled out of the gash. Jason knew on instant that he had hurt his friend too deep.

"Guess you win," his friend croaked in pain, but his lips formed into a warm smile. "Do me a favor and wrap this in bandages, would ya?"

Jason laughed, and raced off to find the First Aid kit. He found a red box, lying below a bench on the far side of the training area, and ran all the way to Frank, holding the box. He carefully picked up his friend's arm and wrapped it in bandages.

"Thanks." Frank sat up, moving his arm slightly. He winced in pain. "Well," he sighed, "it's definitely another mark of a great fight." He smiled warmly at Jason, who returned the smile.

He nodded. "Sure." He offered a hand, which Frank took gladly. Slowly, and steadily, he helped his friend up, making sure he didn't make his arm hurt. Suddenly, a Lupa's shouts were heard, signaling the end of the training session.

Frank decided to accompany Jason back to his cabin. He wanted to company his friend. Ever since they had returned from the war, Jason hadn't looked the same. Sure, on the outside, he looked like his regular self—funny, witty, yet strong and disciplined. His Roman side was screaming louder than his Greek side. Every Roman had a Greek side—after all, they were their ancestors. But Greeks don't have a Roman side; they existed long before Romans did.

Even though his Greek side had become more obvious, he stuck to his Roman side. But no, it wasn't something physical that had changed. No, it was his emotions. He could see that deep inside him, he was sad and longing. Frank knew that his friend was always thinking about a certain Greek girl, a girl he had grew to fall in love with.

"You know you'll see her again," Frank blurted, not knowing why he said that. He was just about to make things worse, making him think more about Piper and making him feel more miserable.

"I know," Jason said. "But I just want to see her one last time. At least come to Camp Half-Blood."

Frank nodded in understanding. "Tell you what. I heard there Hephaestus TV has a new pre-paid show, and Lupa agreed to pay for us to watch it monthly. I heard that one of Camp Half-Blood's cabins owns the show. Vulcan is actually _paying_ them to keep the show going."

Jason raised an eyebrow. "What _are_ you saying?"

Frank shook his head at his friend's current clueless mind. "I'm saying that we're going to watch it. At your cabin. Right now. It _is_ free period, right?"

Jason broke out a grin. "Sure, let's go."

* * *

><p>Jason threw himself on the bed, and stared at the TV. Frank sat on one of the other beds, munching happily on a bag of chips. Jason shook his head at his Asian friend, and focused back on the blinking screen.<p>

Suddenly, a theme song burst on, and a small lounge-like room appeared. Four words flashed across the screen on a hot pink template: _The Talk of Today_. The camera zoomed in on two girls, disappearing from the view of the whole screen. He recognized those girls.

One of them had long, straight bleach blond hair that reached halfway on her back. She had powder blue eyes—almost gray—and fair skin. Tiny freckles covered her cheeks, but those were barely visible.

The other had wavy brown hair that was three inches below her shoulders. Her chlorophyll green eyes stared at the bleach blond girl, as they seemed to be in a mute conversation. Their lips were moving, and it seemed that words were flowing out, but the theme song covered their voices.

Realization took over Jason as he tried figure out who these girls were. He couldn't believe it. Out of all the cabins, he figured it wouldn't be this one.

The song died down, and the two girls faced the camera. "Good afternoon Olympus, and welcome to _The Talk of Today_! I'm your host, Marina White." The bleach blond girl turned to her sister, who was sitting beside her.

"And I'm Kylie Gray. Hey, don't you think it's funny how we both have colors as our last names?" Jason zoned out on that question. He didn't focus on it any longer. All he could think about was the fact that the Aphrodite cabin was hosting this show.

What had gotten into Piper? He knew she hated things like these. Had Aphrodite been messing around with her head?

He shook his head, and focused back on the show. He didn't know how long he was out, but suddenly on the screen, Annabeth was there, answering a question. Her cheeks turned red. "I guess it felt . . . good. I'd give you that. I don't know how to describe it. I don't think there's even a _word_ to describe the feeling."

From next to him, Frank whistled, laughing at the daughter of Athena. "Man, that's some juicy gossip! I wonder what Percy thinks of that!"

Jason laughed along with him. He wondered what would happen if _he_ were in that position. If Annabeth was Piper, and she was spluttering all these facts. He didn't know what the question was, but judging by Annabeth's red cheeks, it had to be an embarrassing topic.

Finally, the show came to an end, as the credits rolled on the bottom screen. When the sponsors came out (Hephaestus TV and Leo's cabin's 'Order and We Make It') and blanked out, an advertisement popped out. An advertisement that might help Jason with his plan.

"Hey! It's me, Marina White, with my best friend Kylie Gray!"

"We're bringing you _The Talk of Today_ every Monday at two-thirty p.m., right here on Hephaestus TV!"

"If _you_ want to be on the show, give us a call, and we'll fix you up a schedule!"

"Don't miss _The Talk of Today_!"

The two girls disappeared, and the sponsors appeared once again. Jason smiled. He had finally found his ticket.

* * *

><p><strong>What do you guys think of this chapter? I have to make a quick author's note - my time is almost up. I'm going to be updating this story again tomorrow - every MONDAY, WEDNESDAY, FRIDAY AND SUNDAY. I only updated today because I had time.<strong>

**Reply to Reviews:**

**LizzyWasHere: I'm glad you liked it!**

**Agana of the Night: You did? I was rushed on that one. I made a couple of mistakes too. Like missing out one or two words. :P**

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**The Moonlit Waters: Aww, thanks! All credit goes to Daydreamer63 :D**

**LovesToReadOnline: Jason showed up! I'm sorry I had to skip part of the talk show . . . I'm kinda hurrying 'cause I'm running out of time :P**

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>XOXO <strong>


	6. Chapter 4: Suspicions

Chapter 4: Suspicions

She sighed as she threw her head on her pillow. It was six thirty in the morning, only thirty minutes away from breakfast. She woke up early, earlier than everybody else in Cabin 10. Her hand reached to the charm dangling around the neck—the charm her mother had given her, to open the cabin's savings box.

As much as she wanted to help out with _The Talk of Today_, she couldn't. She promised Leo that she would help out with his shift today. Because of the blizzard that had suddenly struck Camp Half-Blood yesterday, they were late on orders, and they had to deliver most of them by today.

She sighed and got up, throwing off her covers. Her feet buried themselves in the thick soft pink carpet, which was covered with green and blue fuzzy splashes. The feeling of the carpet between her feet reminded her of her usual mornings at her dad's mansion, where she would always slip her feet in a pair of fuzzy warm slippers. She hated fancy things, but these were the regular ones—fuzzy with bunny ears.

She grabbed a towel and a brush, and grabbed a Camp Half-Blood t-shirt and jeans. She rushed to the bathroom to brush her hair and teeth, and wash her face.

As she ran her brush through her choppy hair, she couldn't help but let her thoughts drift all the way to Camp Jupiter. What was Jason doing right now? Was he sucking up Reyna's face? Was he enjoying it?

Piper shook her head. She couldn't let all these negative thoughts get to her. She sighed, remembering her dream from last night. How she and Jason had met halfway, and spent an entire night on the rooftops, overlooking the view of a crowded city. It was amazing, and as she danced with him, she couldn't help wondering how similar this was to her old dream.

She stepped out of the bathroom, her face clean, and her teeth sparkling like new. Her blue eyes changed to brown, as they scanned the whole sleeping cabin. She tiptoed her way to her bed, and quickly put on her combat boots. Grabbing her snowboarding jacket, she went out, ready to help Cabin 9.

* * *

><p>"She's gone!" Lacy whisperedshouted. Suddenly, everyone zoomed out of their beds, as girls quickly grabbed clothes and hurrying to the bathroom to change. The boys peeked through the curtain, which was separating their area from the girls', watching the girls rushed about.

Mitchell's head went back inside the curtain, and ordered the boys to get ready. Soon, everyone was out, sitting in the middle of the cabin. The boys still had messy hair, and some of the girls, like Jessica, had their hair in curlers.

Drew grabbed her special brush and ran it through her ringlets. "OK, has everyone heard the news?" she asked excitedly, as she plopped down on the fluffy carpet in her pink bathrobe.

Most of them shook their heads, while others, mainly Kylie, Marina and Lacy, nodded their heads viciously. Drew sighed. "Well, as everyone knows, Piper is in love with Jason. And apparently, the latter decided to call us and ask for a schedule at _our_ show." Her lips formed a grin—half mischievous, half evil.

Little Tess shivered a bit at her older sister's grin, before raising her hands timidly. The older demigod nodded at her direction, motioning her to speak. "So, what's the plan?"

"Easy," Lacy said, showing her bright braces. Drew frowned at her bubblegum pink and electric blue braces, but decided to let that slip. "We start asking innocent questions. Then _BOOM!_ It's onto Plan Jasper."

"But what about the questions? I mean, we started out pretty lame yesterday," Kylie pointed out. Marina nodded in agreement.

Lacy twirled a strand of her blond hair, thinking of millions of questions that they could use to start the show. Jessica's hand shot up in the air, and her mouth formed an 'O' as she squealed, "Ooh!"

"Yes, Jess?" Drew asked, her voice almost sneering. She wasn't used to this nice thing very much, and still could be a jerk.

Jessica rolled her eyes at her older sister. "How 'bout 'How's Camp Jupiter?' It's pretty simple," she offered, but most of them shook their heads.

"Too simple." Everyone started putting on their thinking caps, as they thought of another million questions.

Suddenly, Little Tess's eyes flared with happiness and amusement, and full of excitement. "Uh, Drew? How 'bout this?" she asked, lowering her voice down to a whisper. As soon as she said the question, murmurs of agreements broke down. Little Tess was a genius.

* * *

><p>When Piper got to her cabin, she found everyone already up and chatting. Jessica was sitting on her bed, gossiping with Leah, a girl with red hair and a fair amount of freckles on her face. Her grass green eyes gleamed with excitement at whatever gossip Jessica had told her, and her mouth opened, and started to reply.<p>

Marina and Kylie were helping Tess get dressed, as they went through her chest, looking at the different winter dresses she could wear.

Amber, Stephanie and Lacy were whispering with each other, one of their hands rising up in the sky once in a while.

The boys were crammed together, as they talked about the latest action movies and the hottest girls, which almost made Piper gagged.

One person was alone at the very end of the girls' row—Drew herself. She was trying to tame her hair, trying to smoothen out the ringlets, while doing her make-up _at the same time_. Piper shook her head and headed over to her.

"Here," Piper said, grabbing her brush, and helping her smooth her hair.

Drew just frowned at her. "I don't need your help you know," she snapped, but Piper ignored her.

She ran the brush through her hair one last time, and stepped back, liking how soft her ringlets looked. Drew couldn't have done any better, but she wasn't about to let Piper take the credit.

"Thanks _hon_," she sneered, but a pang of guilt went inside of her. This girl just helped her got together with Austin, and she was being a jerk to her? She shook her head. Not the time to think about that now.

Piper let the comment slip, and headed in front of the cabin. "Cabin 10, fall in!"

Suddenly, everyone started lining up, according the height and age. Little Tess was dead last, but she didn't care. She liked walking next to Piper, who liked to walk dead last each morning as well.

Piper stepped aside, and let her siblings go on first, waiting for Little Tess to come out. It was always the same. They were in a neat, straight line, but up until the point they passed Cabin 8, they dispersed, and started forming little groups, bundled together in a bigger group.

She shook her head, and followed Tess out the door. "Piper?" her sweet, innocent voice asked. She looked at the girl. Even though she was only eight years old, she acted like a six-year-old, but that was fine with Piper.

"Yes, Tess?" Piper stared into the young girl's baby blue eyes, while the said girl stared into her older sister's different colored eyes. What did Jason call them again? Kaleidoscope eyes.

"It's almost Christmas, right?" Piper broke into a smile. She loved Christmas. She celebrated it with her dad every year, if he had time, up to the point she decided to go to Camp Half-Blood year round.

She nodded, and the little girl beamed. "Are we going to get each other gifts? Will _I_ get a lot of gifts, Piper?"

Piper laughed, her laugh sounding like twinkling bells. "Sure, Tess. We can do that, if you want." She winked, as she helped Tess sit down from across Amber. She headed over to her own seat, right next to Lacy.

Lacy stopped whispering as soon as she sat, and this caused her to raise an eyebrow. "Oh, nothing," Lacy reassured her, once she did ask about it. "Trust me."

Piper decided to let it go, and went over to the fire to make an offering to Aphrodite. "Aphrodite," she whispered. "Help me get over him, please." She paused, before adding, "_If_ he is with Reyna."

After breakfast, she made sure Lacy and Mitchell knew what had to be done during the day, giving them their new schedule. It was hard, but in the end, she managed to find some slots where their cabin could meet up and plan out their show.

"I'm entrusting you with this," she warned. "Follow the schedule. Don't skip activities to plan ahead. _Please_."

Mitchell laughed. "Alright! Don't worry, we'll get things done."

"Yeah!" Lacy added for reassurance. "We'll get it done, no worries."

Piper nodded, and ran in the direction of Bunker 9. "Alright! See you guys in a bit!"

When she got to Bunker 9, she found Leo, pounding on a Celestial Bronze piece. A blowtorch lay on the side of his worktable. His face was covered in sweat and grease, and his eyebrows were scrunched in confusion.

"Hey Leo," Piper greeted. Leo just turned, smiled, muttered a 'hey', and went back to tinkering. She understood that her friend was under pressure, so she decided to let his greeting pass. She grabbed the clipboard that was sitting on the table by the door, and scanned the list.

_The Stoll Brothers _— _Lock Picking Kit_. OK, what were _they _planning to do with that? Didn't they already have a lock picking kit?

After reading the list, she grabbed the boxes, and loaded them onto a wagon. "I'll just go on and deliver this," she told him, grabbing a walkie-talkie in the process. "Call me if you have more delivers to deliver."

Leo nodded. "Here," he said, tossing her a tiny box. "Give it to Percy. He ordered it somewhere around yesterday."

Piper studied the box. The height of the box couldn't have been higher than ten centimeters. She shook the box slightly, wondering what was inside. She carefully tucked it in the pocket of her snowboarding jacket, after reading the words FRAGILE on the side of the tiny box.

She headed outside, wagon in hand, and made her way to the main room. She left the wagon in the room, and started to place the boxes on the delivery sledge the Hephaestus cabin had built. Two horse automatons waited for their cue to start pulling the sledge.

She grabbed the reigns, and started out to deliver the boxes. She stopped by the Hermes cabin, scanning through the list of Hermes deliveries. Apparently, there was a lot. She grabbed the boxes needed to be delivered, and knocked on their door. The Stoll brothers answered it, and happily offered to take the boxes inside for her.

After making a couple more deliveries, she was ready to go back to Bunker 9, when she remembered the tiny box, lying in her snowboarding jacket pocket. She pulled the reigns, and the automatons did a U-turn. She quickly headed to the Poseidon cabin to give Percy his order.

"Knock, knock?" She peaked inside the cabin, to see Percy, trying to clean his cabin.

"Oh, hi Piper," he grinned, motioning her to come in.

"Trying to tidy your cabin before inspections?"

"Without the help of Tyson, it's pretty hard."

Piper laughed. Her hand reached inside her pocket, and pulled out the box. "I believe this was your order?"

Percy's eyes widened, and carefully took the box out of Piper's hands. "What is it, anyways?" she asked.

The older demigod just smiled. "Annabeth's Christmas present. Do you think she would like it?" He opened it up, and took out a charm bracelet. Now, something both Piper _and_ Annabeth had in common was that neither was a big fan of jewelry, but _this_ was definitely something Piper would wear.

The charms each resembled a special memory, or so Piper presumed. The first one was Annabeth, feeding an unconscious Percy some ambrosia. The second had them talking next to some cages of animals. The next one was the two of them with Tyson, Percy's Cyclops half-brother. More and more charms resembled past memories, most of them being Percabeth moments.

But one thing caught her eye. "A ring?" she asked. The ring was dangling in the middle of the bracelet. A beautiful stormy gray gem was in the middle, with blue spirals decorating the silver metal.

Percy nodded. "It's not an engagement ring, if that's what you were thinking," he quickly said, scratching his head nervously. "I just wanted to give her something special."

"She'd love this," Piper breathed, the ring _and_ the bracelet taking her breath away.

"You think so?"

Piper shook her head. "I _know_ so." She glanced at her watch, and cursed. "I gotta go, Perce. I need to help Leo with deliveries." Percy nodded, and she zoomed out the door, getting on the sledge and heading back to Bunker 9.

She parked the horses in the corridor, and ran all the way to Leo's place. She stopped short, when she heard Drew's voice. "Yes, _Jason_, she won't suspect a thing."

* * *

><p><strong>And there's chapter 4! To be honest, when I woke up this morning, I was hoping for more than 5 reviews . . . but you have to be grateful for what you have! Thanks to all who reviewed!<strong>

**Reply to Reviews:**

**XxForeseeingHadesFuturexX: You know, I'm loving your pen name. I have no idea why. Anyways, thank you! I hope this chapter wasn't bad. I managed to get it more than 2,100 words!**

**valerie325: I'm sorry they didn't meet in this chapter. But I got an idea to make things feisty! And don't worry, I hope, HOPE, they meet in the next chapter ;)**

**lala45768: Anytime! Tell me if you have any question requests on _The Talk of Today_! (You know, something that one of their guests would answer ;) )**

**Me: hahaha I get it! Really? They don't seem OOC? I think they're kinda, just a tiny bit, OOC. Well, maybe Drew a whole lot OOC. I'm sure I said that in the summary . . . Thanks for reviewing Me! (LOL, it's like I'm talking to myself. But keep using that name. I remember you very well :P)**

**LovesToReadOnline: I hope this is good enough for entertainment after homework! And you're welcome! I love writing so much, I just have to write everyday, LOL. But I'm writing two stories at the moment, so I have to switch and take turns :) I only have enough time to update one story/day, but yesterday was an exception. (you are the only exception . . . heart that song :) )**

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>I READ YOUR REVIEWS<br>EVERY MORNING, I REMEMBER  
>EVERY ONE OF MY REVIEWERS NOW!<strong>

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**P.S. If you have any questions you would like Jason to answer by the time he arrives at CHB, send them in through the reviews!**


	7. Chapter 5: Pain

Chapter 5: Pain

Piper inched closer to the room, trying to hear what Drew was saying. Her eyes darted inside, as she caught a glimpse of Jason's image in a mist. Iris Messaging.

He hadn't change much. He still had his short-cropped hair and those blue eyes that easily take her breath away. She watched as his lips moved as words flowed out of his mouth, but her mind wasn't really concentrating on the two demigod's conversation.

She snapped awake, her mind drifting back on the conversation. "So, uh, what are you doing later today?" Jason's voice asked. Piper gasped softly, not believing her ears.

Drew twirled a strand of her ringlets around her finger, as if she were flirting with the Son of Jupiter. "No, why?" Piper growled, noticing how innocent Drew's voice sounded. What would Austin say?

"Um, do you wanna hang out?" His voice sounded nervous, and Piper could hear his heart pounding through the IM.

"Sure! Meet you at the beach?"

He laughed. _Laughed_. "I was going to say Thalia's tree, but I'm sure that works too." He smiled at Drew, the smile he uses only when he was talking to Piper. _Her_ smile.

Piper backed away, not able to take it anymore. Should she run and tell Austin that Drew was cheating on him? Part of her wanted to go run and be a tattletale, but her heart was aching on Jason's words. He didn't love her. She knew it was too good to be true.

She ran, further and further away from the room, dust forming below her feet as they carried her away from Drew and Jason. Tears streamed out of her eyes, as she pumped her legs faster, racing away from the two lovebirds.

Drew turned around, dropping her flirty face. "Did I hear something?" she asked, worry covered in her tone. "If it's Austin, it's fine. I already told him about this."

Jason peered over the IM, trying to look around the empty room. "No, I didn't hear anything," he confirmed, and Drew's face returned back to normal. His eyes went back to the daughter of Aphrodite. "So basically that's all I have to do to sort of ask her out?"

"Yeah," Drew shrugged. "Just be yourself. Piper likes you that way. It's going to be _fine_."

Jason smiled. A howl sounded in the distant, calling all Roman demigods for training. His face quickly turned around, and cursed in Latin. "Thanks for the help Drew. I'll see you next week." He swiped his hand through the image and the connection broke.

* * *

><p>Piper's feet pumped faster and faster, as the distance between her and the IM grew further and further. Sweat was trickling down her face, and tears streamed out of her eyes. The pain in her heart was just too much. She couldn't bare it.<p>

Her feet carried her further away from Bunker 9, and running deeper into the east side of the forest. She stopped and pressed her back against a tree, slowly sliding down to her bottom.

This was what heartbreak felt like. And she would've never guessed.

The salty water made their way down her cheeks trailing down until they were only droplets of water dripping off her face. She buried her face in her knees her hands gripping her legs tight. Her cries became soft sobs, as she continued to let the tears fall, until no more water came out.

Her bloodshot eyes scanned the entire forest, watching the creek in front of her. She could see the source of the creek, the very same creek they use during Capture the Flag. Had she gone that far?

She laid her head against the bark of the tree behind her, biting her lip to prevent her from screaming dreadfully. And for a minute, she thought Drew was nice . . .

Slowly, she stood up, dusting the dirt and snow off her jeans. She wasn't going to cry over some silly boy. She was different from most Aphrodite girls. She was stronger than them. And if she cries over _him_, then she would be no better than her sisters.

Piper walked out of the forest, her feet an inch deep in the frosty blanket. Her pace was slow, only a soft _squish, squish, squish_ on the snowy blanket. Snowflakes fell onto her chocolate brown hair, as she got closer and closer to the edge of the forest.

People stared at her as she walked by, as if they could feel the sadness that was radiating from her. She kept her eyes on the snowy path laid out in front of her, leading her back to her cabin.

She opened the door, to find the Barbie house completely deserted. Not a single living thing was inside, not even the tiniest ant. She dragged herself to her bed, and threw herself onto it, face-first.

She buried her face in her pillow, accepting the warmth inside of it. She kicked off her combat boots, letting her bare feet lie on the warm bed. Her hands grabbed onto the pink blanket, pulling it up to her face.

She closed her eyes, praying to Aphrodite that what she saw was fake, that it wasn't what it seemed. Little did she know that what she prayed for was already true.

* * *

><p>Jessica jumped excitedly, kicking a huge lump of snow in the air. The cold snow hit Kylie in the face, letting her taste the freezing temperature of the blanket below.<p>

The Aphrodite kids were meeting up to discuss their plans for _The Talk of Today_. Every one of them was waiting patiently for Drew and Piper, as they threw snowballs at each other and built snowmen and snow forts.

Finally, the eldest daughter of Aphrodite arrived, her figure getting bigger as she got closer. Drew sat on a rock, and waited for their counselor to arrive.

Five minutes passed. No Piper. Ten minutes passed. Still no Piper. The Aphrodite kids were now fidgeting, not able to wait a second longer. Finally, Amber cried in exasperation. "For Zeus' sake!" she yelled, not able to take on the tension. "Where's our counselor?"

"Maybe it's best if we continue without her," Marina suggested softly. "I mean, she wouldn't want us to keep waiting for her. She wants us to get the job done."

There were a bunch of nods and mutters of agreement, and the Aphrodite kids set to work.

Kylie pulled out a blue notebook from under her winter coat and a fluffy baby blue pen. She opened the notebook, and started writing. "So we've already got the first question. What next?"

"Let's come up with a bunch of questions. And then sort things out from there," Stephanie suggested. Once again, the children of Aphrodite murmured in agreement.

Tess raised her hand. Kylie nodded at her, telling her to state her question. "What's your favorite thing to do with Leo? How about Piper?"

Kylie wrote it down, and pointed at Amber to state her question. "Rumor has it that Piper's _really_ the one you miss. Is it true?"

Question buzzed, both girls _and_ boys participating in the brainstorming. Hands popped up everywhere, and Kylie struggled to keep track of all the different questions.

"Ooh!" Leah squealed. Everyone turned to her. Both she and Ryan smiled. "Ryan's got an _awesome_ question."

All eyes drifted to the son of Aphrodite, waiting for the question. The boy smirked, and opened his mouth to speak. "So who's the girl for you? Piper or Reyna?"

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><p><strong>I know! I'm disappointed in myself. That was too short of a chapter :( I need to make it longer. But unfortunately, I'm out of ideas. So here's how you can help:<strong>

**1) REVIEW! It motivates me to write better chapters :)**

**2) Send in questions that you would like to Jason to answer on _The Talk of Today_!**

**Alright, thanks!**

**Reply to Reviews****:**

**oceanblue10: I tried to update on Friday, but I was busy beta-ing my friend (Taste the Rainbow- Or Else)'s story, _and_ writing a chapter of the story I'm co-authoring for (Olympia Academy by TheDevilWearsGucci). Sorry for the late update. Next update: Hopefully tomorrow :)**

**valerie325: As you can see, I twisted your question a bit ;) But I'm going to use that too :D I need all the questions I can get, if you want a loooooong chapter full of Jason spilling secrets :P**

**xXxDaughteroftheKingxXx: Little spoiler for you and those who are reading the A/N: Jason is coming to the show in the next chapter!**

**LovesToReadOnline: hahaha Really? So cool XD I know! I figured that if people read it, the first thing that came into their minds would be, "He's going to propose?" and no way am I going to let my bro get married that early (I'm a daughter of Poseidon :P)**

**XxForeseeingHadesFuturexX: Really? LOL! I think Leo was the most normal guy out of all the pictures Rocco (you know who he is right? If not, then he's the one that draws the covers and the characters :) ) draws. I mean, his drawings aren't _bad, _it's just... I mean... if you've seen Nico's picture, you'll get what I mean.**

**Me: Thanks for the advice! I'll make sure to use them ;)**

**Astrid: Really? Thanks! The more readers, the better (even if that doesn't mean more reviews) I enjoy sharing my work to the world :) as long it makes them happy, that is :P**

**XEminemXRocksX3 'imX: yep, so true ;)**

**THANKS TO ALL WHO REVIEWED!  
>SEND ME QUESTIONS YOU WANT JASON TO ANSWER<br>IN THE TALK SHOW!**

**XOXO **


	8. Chapter 6: The Shock

**THIS CHAPTER IS DEDICATED FOR ALL VICTIMS FROM THE 9/11 AND TO BROKEN HEARTED GIRL HORN. MAY ALL THOSE SOULS REACH HEAVEN WHEN HE COMES BACK AGAIN, AND MAY GOD BLESS EVERYONE OF THEM, INCLUDING MY VERY SPECIAL REVIEWER :')**

**P.S. To Broken hearted girl Horn: I cried when I read your review, and I even prayed for you. I hope your life gets better, and I hope that one day you'll get much better foster parents.**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 6: The Shock<span>

Jason threw in the last of his t-shirts. For a whole three weeks, Lupa granted him the permission to leave camp and stay at Camp Half-Blood—even if it meant training with the Greeks.

For _days_ he was stuck to Reyna's pleading cries, begging him not to 'leave her stranded, all alone at this miserable place'. It was annoying. Her cries would drive him nuts, her wails creaking miserably in his ears. Even Frank hated the noise. Hazel, Gwen, Bobby and Dakota could only agree.

There was a knock on his cabin door. Jason sighed, grabbing his snowboarding jacket. He rushed to the door, his two duffle bags in hand, ready to head out. He opened, wishing it were anybody _but_ Reyna.

Thank gods it was only Lupa. The wolf stared at him, her stern eyes looking right into his own blue ones. Her nose twitched, and her lip curled, right before wagging her tail shortly.

Jason knew every single movement, reading them. No words came out of the wolf's mouth. No, she didn't need to speak. In fact, Jason didn't think she could do more then _howl_, much less _speak_.

All this was part of her language, the way she curled her tongue, the way her eyes flashed once in a while. Even the slight wagging of her tail meant _something_. Each movement was part of her language.

"Lupa," Jason acknowledged, nodding politely at the mother-wolf.

_Jason_, she regarded him, her eyes still staring into his. _Your ride has arrived. Argus himself has been sent to pick you up from the airport in New York._

Jason nodded, and rushed towards the outskirts of camp. The wolf ran behind him, running slower than she usually would.

He stopped in his tracks, reaching the borders of camp. A small van parked just outside on the road, waiting for the Son of Jupiter.

_Train hard, my pup,_ the mother-wolf told him. _Make sure I do not regret sending you to the camp of the Greeks._

The Son of Jupiter dropped his bags and bowed politely. The wolf towered above him, a few feet taller. Her eyes watched him as he bent lower, his head facing the ground. He slowly rose, as their eyes met once again.

Jason smiled at Lupa, before grabbing his bags off the ground. His feet paced faster and faster towards the van, and literally jumping inside.

The driver chuckled at the demigod's anticipation, and watched as he buckled into the seat next to him. His eyes were full of excitement, as he kept them glued on the road ahead. The driver took that as a sign to step on it.

The road whizzed by them, the images blurring all around. The driver dropped him off at the airport, before zooming off in another direction. Jason's eyes followed the van until it disappeared in the far distance.

His feet went all around the airport, doing the routine he had always done. After a while, his feet ended up in the plane.

Clouds passed his window, and he watched as the plane got further and further away from the ground. The cars no longer became huge convertibles; they were now no larger than a dot.

He relaxed for a while, shutting himself from his surroundings. He relaxed, knowing he was just as safe in the air as he was on the ground. Well, before Gaea attacked, that is. But that's history now.

History. It only seemed yesterday they had defeated Gaea, and only yesterday he had spent the last few hours of the war with Piper and Leo. It all seemed like a short while ago. He even felt like he was just coming back from the war.

But no. All that had happened over a month ago—possibly two, if he was counting right.

He sighed, slipping deeper into his seat. He ran his fingers through his short-cropped hair, thinking about the past memories. It was bad that he had lost his memories alright—but it was worse to know that once you get it back, you're going to have to leave the ones you loved pretty soon.

Not a good thing.

Suddenly, the speaker went on, telling everyone to buckle their seatbelts and prepare for landing. He didn't know he had passed the time by reminiscing his past memories.

A small Delphi Strawberry Service van was waiting for him in front of the airport, in plain sight. He wondered if it was weird for the mortals to see a Strawberry Service van picking a fifteen-year-old boy up. If he were mortal, it would be pretty bizarre.

He got into the van, throwing his bags at the bag. He could feel a dozen of Argus' watchful eyes looking at him, eyeing him carefully, as they studied him from head to toe.

They sped off towards Long Island. As they got closer and closer to Camp Half-Blood, Jason was already jumping inside. He was going to see all his friends—Percy, Annabeth, Connor and Travis Stoll, Leo, Mitchell, Lacy . . .

But one person stood out among them all: Piper.

She was the reason he was coming, and the reason he left Camp Jupiter for three whole weeks. She was the reason Frank didn't have a challenging training partner for the time being, and the reason Reyna was crying for him (though that was a little dramatic).

He smiled slightly at his thoughts on Piper, remembering when they first met. Gods, she was _seriously_ beautiful. And the time they fell over the canyon . . . he remembered how much he wanted to kiss her. All he wanted to do was stare into those kaleidoscope eyes, and have them staring back at him with love.

He chuckled, thinking how much he was acting like a son of Aphrodite/Venus at the moment. Guess Piper and her sibling kind of grew on him.

Speaking on Piper and the Aphrodite cabin, he wondered how much she changed. Did she still look the same? Would he recognize her? Has she turned to one of those fashionistas from her cabin?

He shook his head. No way will Piper _ever_ become a fashionista. _This_ was the way she role: t-shirt, jeans, worn-out sneakers, and occasionally the Piper snowboarding jacket. No fancy dos and make-up, just simple old Piper. Not that he minded it, though.

Finally, the van went to a stop, and Jason took a good look at his surroundings. What did he expect to see? Warm, sunny skies, lively meadows, satyrs playing their reed pipes, while children of Demeter and Pollux, son of Dionysus, walked around the strawberry field, growing their juicy strawberries.

But instead, this was what he got: snow, snow and more snow. Snow covered every inch of the camp, starting for the top of the hills and all around it. The only things that weren't frozen were the climbing wall, and the beach. The fire that has been kept by Hestia by the cabins was still aflame.

When he saw the thick blanket of freezing white, he thought everyone would be doing what the Romans did during their free period: sit inside and enjoy the warmth.

Instead, the Greeks used the weather to have fun. Kids were fooling around, throwing snowballs at each other, occasionally squealing and yelping in surprise. He even saw a kid stuck in a giant snowball, with his hands, legs, and head sticking out.

He made his way to Cabin 1, setting his bags on his old sleeping place. At least something good came out. It was good to see Hippie Zeus again. He kind of missed the old fellow.

Suddenly, the doors burst open, to reveal an Asian girl with dark ringlets, and _plenty _of make-up. Behind her, stood a guy, about eighteen, with blond hair and bright blue eyes, and a perfect tan. Typical Apollo kids.

"Jason!" the Asian girl exclaimed, pretending to open her arms out for a hug. The son of Apollo chuckled at his girlfriend's actions. She only did it to look friendly. She knew he would immediately reject an embrace.

"I'll past," the Son of Jupiter stated, backing away slowly.

The girl scowled, and crossed her arms over her chest. "That's not the way to treat a lady. You're going to need it," she reminded him, winking to let him get the message.

Jason paled slightly. "Oh, don't remind me Drew."

Drew laughed. She stepped aside, letting her boyfriend walk next to her. "Have you met Austin? He's a son of Apollo, and also my boyfriend," she boasted, and Austin just raised his hand for a wave.

"I heard that you asked Drew for help to ask you-know-who out," Austin grinned, flashing his pearly whites.

Jason's cheeks colored, and the older demigods laughed. "Y-yeah," he stammered, not knowing what else to say.

"Aw, that's cute!" Drew said, squealing like her mother. "I now get why Mother just _adores_ Jasper! It's almost as cute as Percabeth!"

The Roman frowned. "Wait—what? Jasper? Percabeth? Who are they?"

Drew laughed, while Austin just shook his head. "All in good time, Jas," Drew promised, her eyes twinkling mischievously. "Oh, and they aren't _who_. They're _what_. I'll see you later hon!"

The daughter of Aphrodite trailed off, leaving nothing but a few footprints going out of the cabin door. Austin smiled at Jason. "Good luck. I'm sure Piper's different from other Aphrodite girls."

"Yeah, you have no idea," mini-Jupiter laughed. "But you know what's stranger? Seeing Drew all nice and happy-go-lucky."

Austin smiled and nodded. "Changed a lot lately. Can't tell why, though. Hey, I gotta get going to archery. I'll see you around, man." The son of Apollo patted his back, before running off towards the archery range, leaving Jason alone to unpack.

* * *

><p>Piper shook some snow off her boots. Even though her boots were nice and warm, she could feel the coldness of the snow, as if they were lying right on her feet.<p>

She was thinking about the next guest for the show. Katie? Miranda? Percy? Or maybe both the Stolls? She could even get Leo to participate as guest. A bunch of names appeared in her head, as she thought of all the different possibilities.

Once step one was done, it was on to step two: figuring out the questions.

She made her way to the beach, the _only_ summery place in the whole entire camp. The weather was still like a regular summer's day, and the beach was still scorching hot. It was the only place Dionysus had left alone—the only place without snow and frosty weather.

She ripped off her jacket from her shoulders, throwing it to the ground. Slipping off her combat boots, she dug her feet into the hot sand, enjoying the warmth after a cold winter's day.

Don't get her wrong—she _loved _winter. She just hated the chilly weather.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps in the distance, the low _pat, pat, pat_ of winter boots on the summer sand. She whirled her head around, Katoptris in hand.

"Whoa!" the owner of the footsteps screamed. "Don't hurt me!"

A male figure appeared next to the owner of the footsteps. He collapsed onto the ground, sighing contently. "Summer!" he screamed, as if he were on heaven.

Piper laughed at her siblings. "What do you want, Mitchell, Lacy?"

Her sister's mouth curled into a smile, before widening to show her new braces. Her face beamed with joy. "I got it changed! See! It's now Christmas red and holly-berry green!" She pointed to her teeth.

"That's nice, Lacy. Now care to help me with figuring out the next guest?" Piper asked impatiently.

That's when he remembered. "Right! Drew sent us to tell you something!" Mitchell exclaimed. "We've got a guest!"

Piper's mouth curled into a smile. "Great! Who is it?"

Lacy's face beamed even brighter. Piper waited for the answer. But the words that came out were the reason she had cried herself to sleep yesterday. The reason she fell asleep before dinner. That one person who had meant everything to her. She fought tears as she remembered the conversation she had picked up.

And what were her sister's exact words? "Jason! Isn't that great?"

* * *

><p><strong>I tried to make it longer! :D I know I said that in <em>this<em> chapter, Jason's going to be on the show, but I don't think that might happen for another 2/3 more chapters.**

**More bad news.**

**Unfortunately, this would be my _only_ update this week. I have a presentation due on FRIDAY and I have to work hard on it. See, all my lessons are in _german_, and I've only been learning the language for two years. So since the presentation is in german, I have to work reallyyyy hard on it. And to make things worse, it's a freaking BIOLOGY presentation :/**

**Reply to Reviews****:**

**ForeverTheCritic: 1) She's mean because she's jealous of Piper. I can tell that :P And I think another reason she's mean is because she thinks that she has all the power, and she can become like a supreme ruler or something. 2) I'll definitely use that question! Thanks for suggestion! Hahaha, I'm pretty evil too :P Runs in the family as well. And meaness (but only me and my sis has it...)**

**The Moonlit Waters: Just a question. Between who? Piper and Reyna? (I'm an idiot, I know XD)**

**Hungergames3: That's an interesting idea, but Drew already has a boyfriend :P Btw, what's the Hunger Games like? I'm considering on reading it.**

** , Agana of the night, Mythologyrocks3 & lala45768: Thanks!**

**XxForeseeingHadesFuturexX: Hahahaha OK :D But I'm sorry that I won't be able to update anymore this week. I'll try to write _two_ chapters during the weekend :D**

**Broken hearted girl Horn: I prayed for you. I hope you will get better foster parents soon :) And thanks for reading! I think you changed my life ;) (I cried when I read your review. It was so sad. I'm sorry about your parents and uncle :( P.S. Is there any way I can contact you? Facebook? Twitter? :P)**

**LovesToReadOnline: Hahahaha thanks for the suggestion! I'll make sure to use it!**

**roach26: 1) I won't be doing daily giveaways here, hehe :P 2) This isn't related to "The Child of the Gods". It's just another random fic :P**

**THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS!  
>REVIEW AGAIN . . . PLEASE! <strong>


	9. Chapter 7: Spilled Milk

**Hey guys! I thought it would be easier to reply your reviews at the top of the chapter :) So here we go . . .**

**Reply to Reviews:**

**Broken hearted girl Horn: Thanks for reviewing! Oko? Are your foster parents Asian? (Not that it's a bad thing, 'cause I'm Asian as well). Anyways, I sent you an email. Did you get it?**

**redlox2: hahaha yeah :) I try to make this as updated as possible ;) And yes, I guess that wouldn't mean much, seeing how the demigods don't really relate. Except if they have the same mom/dad. And thanks for reviewing!**

**roach26: Yes and yes ;)**

**XxForeseeingHadesFuturexX: Try writing one shots. You just need to come up with an idea, and finish it in one chapter. Doesn't take much effort :P I've never written a one-shot before, because every time I try, it ends up being a multi-chap anyways, hahaha. And you seriously liked the ending? I thought it wasn't very good :/**

**LovesToReadOnline: I updated! The biology presentation is long gone! Hahaha It was sooo hard, but finally, I'm able to write again! And I know! It would've been so cute! Oh, and SPOILER ALERT: It's going to be longer than 3 weeks ;)**

**Me: LOVE LOVE LOVE the questions! Read the chapter below to see if I used them ;)**

**Hungergames3: Thanks! The presentation went well :) I had problem speaking a bit, trying to turn English words into German in my head, which is hard, considering the whole Biology thing. But in the end, the teacher said he might give me an A-! It makes me sooo happy :D**

**ForeverTheCritic: That's good! That was better than Apollo anyways. I mean, who in _Olympus_, would _always_ end their haikus by saying they're awesome in one way or another?**

**HappyAce88: *nods* that _would_ be dramatic, but I have other plans :P SPOILER ALERT: More drama coming later on ;****)**

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><p><span>Chapter 7: Spilled Milk<span>

First word that appeared in her mind: _run_.

But no, she couldn't do that. Her brother and sister were doing something _extremely_ nice for her—something that shehad _wished_ it would happen. Keyword: wished. Definition: To have wished for something in the _past_.

Her head got dizzy from the information, not able to keep herself together. What was happening? Why was he here? He actually had the _nerve_ to show up at camp, knowing that she would feel _heartbroken_ when she found out the news? How would Austin feel?

That jerk! Her sister, her _very own _sister, decided to _cheat_ on her _boyfriend_ with _her_ boyfriend? Well, he wasn't technically her boyfriend—_yet_.

She could feel each question, buzzing in her head, playing bumper cars and started pounding on the hollow area of her skull. The pain inside her brain was killing her. Too many questions, no answers.

She forced a smile, her eyes wide in 'shock'. She didn't know how she did it, but she managed to cause herself to blush. Her cheeks reddened, her dark skin turning red. She bit her lip, trying to look like she was nervous, but in reality, she wanted to scream and cry.

"Piper, don't you know what this means?" Lacy's excited voice exclaimed, her eyes twinkling with happiness.

Piper forced herself to blush darker. She could feel tears, ready to fall on her red cheeks, as she bit her bottom lip even harder. Now that Lacy mentions the possibility, the pain inside her was too hard to bear.

"Aw, come on Pipes. I know you're extremely happy! Show us your tears of joy!" Mitchell encouraged, trying to make his sister cry with joy, even though that seemed a little out of character.

Piper couldn't take it anymore. She got up from the burning hot sand, and quickly slipped on her combat boots. Her kaleidoscope eyes met her sister's warm blue one, and her sister widened her eyes in realization. Those weren't happy tears—those were heartbreak-tears.

The counselor turned to her heel, and ran, not saying a single word. She could feel the tears streaming down, as she choked down sobs of despair. Her eyes shut tight, as she ran further and further away from her brother and sister, letting her feet pump faster and faster into the woods.

She pushed her back onto the pile of rocks, plopping her butt on the freezing ground. She was back in Winter Wonderland.

Her feet dug deeper into the snow, and more tears fell out of her eyes. She had her head buried in her knees, trying to hide her hurtful face.

Suddenly, she heard a cough. "Hey, are you OK?"

_That voice_ . . . She recognized the voice. She lifted her head, and electric blue met flashing eyes. She stared deeper and deeper into those blue eyes searching for answers to her previous questions.

Jason watched his friend sit their, her face stained with tears. Her arms clutched tighter around her knees, as her feet dug deeper into the freezing snow.

"Pipes, you alright?" He watched as her eyes seem to look _inside_ of him, searching for something. What was she doing?

"Why?" her voice croaked, splitting in half. "Just, _why,_ Jason?"

Jason wracked his brain for an answer. What had Drew said? "To see you," he remembered, copying the daughter of Aphrodite's words.

Piper just stared at him in disbelief. Even _Jason_, the Jason she _knew_, was a cheater. He _was_ like every other boy out there. She thought he was different. But now, she found out she was wrong.

She got up, almost falling to her feet. She grabbed onto the nearest rock, her hands shaky from the cold touch. Her eyes shifted to the ground, as cold air escaped her mouth. Slowly, she raised her head, to meet him in the eye. "And I thought you were different," she said, shaking her head. She turned, and jogged away, running towards Bunker 9.

Jason scratched his head, not getting a thing. What had he done wrong? He _knew_ he shouldn't have picked Drew's stupid pick-up lines! If he had done things _his_ way, he was sure Piper wouldn't have ran away.

He didn't know how right he was.

He sighed, trudging his way back to the cabin area. In exactly one hour, they were going to go LIVE on Olympus, with _him_ as a guest star. He hoped the questions wouldn't be anything _embarrassing_. Otherwise, he's_ doomed_.

* * *

><p>"I'm <em>positive<em>, Drew! I saw heartbroken tears in her eyes!" Lacy wailed, her eyes pleading for her older sister to believe her.

Drew just crossed her arms, rolling her beautiful brown eyes. "I bet they were just tears of joy, Lacy. I was _very _careful not to let anyone hear our conversation. And besides, if she plans on running off to tell Austin, he wouldn't care. He knew it was nothing. I already told him about the conversation."

"But—"

"Lacy, seriously. I saw the tears too, and it pretty much looked like tears of joy. So just forget about it, OK?" Mitchell insisted.

Lacy sighed, and waved her hand, signaling them to drop the conversation. Drew smiled, and waved her hand to send her younger siblings back to their stations.

Suddenly, a blond boy burst inside the room, a confused expression plastered on his face. His purple T-shirt was wrinkled and messy, and his black snowboarding jacket was piled with snow.

Drew shook her head in disapproval. She snapped her fingers, and pointed to Stephanie. "You there!" Her sister cocked her head, to face bossy Drew. The Asian pointed a finger towards Jason, and her voice was stern and commanding. "Get him fixed!"

Stephanie squealed, happy to be able to experiment her beauty (er, handsome-y?) skills for boys. Jason didn't even bother to think twice before Stephanie sat him down onto a make-up table.

Drew smiled, watching as everything got into place. She checked her watch, and frowned. Where was Piper? She couldn't miss this, could she?

_Whatever_, she decided. _Hopefully, she's in the cabin, watching this on Hephaestus TV._

* * *

><p>Piper threw herself onto her bed, her head falling onto the soft pillow. She turned, and staring at the white ceiling above her. Pictures of times Jason and her had shared flashed in her mind, playing like mini clip pictures.<p>

She didn't know why, but her eyes drifted to the television in Cabin 10. She suddenly had this urge to grab the remote and switch to Hephaestus TV, and watch her cabin's show.

But she didn't want to see Jason talk, does she?

Before she could stop herself, she pressed the ON button, and the TV flickered to life. The image blinked across the screen, as the last commercial came to an end. Suddenly, the show's theme song came on, and the words flew onto the screen, slowly zooming in on her sisters.

"Hello, I'm Marina White and this is my partner, Kylie Gray, and welcome to this week's episode of _The Talk of Today_!" Marina exclaimed, her smile sweet as ever. She twirled a strand of bleach blond hair around her finger, before opening her mouth to continue talking.

"Now, this week's guest star is _very_ special and rare," she said, slowly spoiling the surprise.

Piper could imagine Thalia, Percy, Annabeth, Leo, Hazel and Frank laugh when they see _this_ episode. She chuckled slightly thinking how Jason even had the guts to come to a show, founded by the _Aphrodite_ cabin.

Thunder boomed in the sky. _Sorry,_ Piper silently apologized. _I didn't mean it like that Mom_.

"Yes! In fact he, _or_ she, is a rare species!" Kylie joked, and Piper could just imagine Jason frown.

Marina shook her head. "Now, don't talk about our guest that way, Kylie. It's not nice," Marina scolded, and Kylie pretended to pout. The blond girl's lips twitched into a sly smirk, before adding, "Even though we know it's true."

"Hey!" a boy's voice was heard, and Piper laughed. Jason has to be a whole more careful next time.

She frowned. What was she doing? She shook her head, and focused back onto the show.

"Dude, you just spoiled yourself! That's right people, this week, we have the one and only (please do laugh), Jason Grace!"

She could imagine people laughing, wondering what the Hades the Son of Jupiter was doing there.

She swore it was only her imagination. Turns out, it was real.

She turned her head, and met the eyes of her _other_ best friend, the one and only, Leo Valdez. The fifteen-year-old was carrying to big boxes, a hammer in one hand. He gently placed the boxes down, and threw himself on Piper's bed, causing her to drop on the floor.

"Watch it Valdez!" Piper scolded, rubbing her head.

Leo only smirked, and pointed to the screen. Piper's eyes drifted back to the TV, and watched as Jason's face turned red in embarrassment. She guessed he didn't think straight about coming here.

"Hey, mind if I watch with you? I was only going to drop these boxes in the first place, but _this_ is definitely something worthwhile," Leo grinned, as his mischievous glints sparkled in his dark eyes.

Piper couldn't help but laugh. She gave the Son of Hephaestus a nod, and sat down on her bed next to where he was lying, eyes fixed on the electronic box in front of him.

"So Jason," Kylie said, cocking her head to look at him better. "What was the reason you came to Camp Half-Blood in the first place? Was it _really_ to be on this show?"

Jason smiled nervously, scratching the back of his head. "This'll be good," Leo said, his mind forming all the different embarrassing answers in his head.

Piper threw a pillow at him, which he easily dodged.

"Well, the reason I actually signed up for this show was so that I could actually have a chance to show up at Camp Half-Blood. The _real_ reason I came to the Greek camp is to meet my buds Leo and Piper. It's been a while since I've seen them," Jason replied.

_Yeah,_ Piper snorted mentally, _it's been _forever_ since I've seen him. More like a few minutes ago._

Leo, who was completely obvlious to Piper's expression, shook his head at his best friend's answer. Seriously, how _stupid_ could that Roman be? Everyone, and he meant _everyone_, _knew_ the real reason he came to Camp Half-Blood. If he was willing to risk something as embarrassing as this, then he must me _nuts _about her.

Marina smiled. "Well, since Leo and _Piper_—" the latter frowned at the way her name was said "—are your best buds, what were you planning on doing with them?"

"Well, basically, all us Romans do is train, so that's definitely on our To-Do List," he replied. Piper could see Lupa speaking in his mind, reminding him to train, train, and train.

"No chizz, Sherlock," Leo grumbled. Piper laughed. Whenever they were hanging out with Jason, they would always end up training, one way or another.

"But other than that, I guess Leo's business could use some help," Jason considered, forming plans in his head.

"No chizz, Sherlock!" Three guesses who said that.

"And there's always that plan to run away from you guys," the Roman smirked, and the two best buds laughed as they watched Kylie and Marina's face morphed to frowns.

"No—"

"Leo, if you say, '_No chizz, Sherlock!'_ one more time, I swear on Styx that'll I'll rip your head off, and offer it as a sacrifice to Hades," Piper warned, glaring at her friend.

Leo shook her head. "But beauty queen," he protested, "my dad would get _very, very _angry with you. And besides, I don't think Hades would like my head. Oh, and for the record, my voice does _not_ sound like a squealing rat."

Piper rolled her eyes, and drifted them back to her sister's figures on the screen.

"So, first up: Leo. How did you two become friends, really?" Marina asked, as if the topic really interested her. _As if_, Piper silently laughed.

"I guess it kinda clicked."

"Clicked?" Kylie's smile turned into a smirk.

"Wha—No! Don't get the wrong ideas, people! What I meant was that I guess it just happened. He's weird and all that, but hey, we've survived life-or-death situations, and became best friends on the way," Jason explained, as his face slowly morphed from anxiety, to just plain worried.

Kylie laughed. "OK, OK. So, here's an option: Spend an entire day with either Leo, or Piper?" Both demigods mentioned straightened up.

Jason put on his thinking cap, rubbing his chin as he tried to come up with a good answer. "It doesn't matter," he said, shrugging. "I mean, if I chose Leo, then Piper would just suddenly pop out of nowhere and join us. And if I chose Piper, then Leo would suddenly come crashing with some sort of prank going on, and join us. Either way, it's a win-win."

"That's true," Piper agreed, nodding with her friend on the show.

"No—" Leo stopped, as Piper glared at him.

"That's nice," Marina said impatiently, not accepting the answer. "But if you _had_ to choose one, who would it be?"

Jason blushed, and muttered a word to soft for anyone to hear. Piper squinted her eyes. What did he say?

"Mind if you say it louder, darling? My delicate ears cannot hear those lovely words you speak," Kylie said, mocking an expression of an over-the-top Aphrodite girl.

"Pepsi," he mumbled, but Piper was _sure_ he didn't say _that_.

"But honey!" Marina joined, copying her sister's actions. "That wasn't an option!"

Jason sighed, and ran his fingers through his hair. Piper watched in awe as he did that, and Leo caught her smile. "Piper," he sighed, as if it was really_, really_, hard for him to say that.

Piper's cheeks turned pink, because of the answer _and_ the way he said her name. It was almost longing, as if he wanted her to be there right then.

"Oh, now I'mheartbroken," Leo said dramatically.

Piper let out a chuckle, but she wasn't really concentrating. Jason, _her_ Jason, chose _her_ over _Leo_. Usually, a guy would just go on ahead and choose another guy, since they probably figured they are _way_ easier to get along than with girls. With all that squealing? Well, Aphrodite girls squealed, anyways.

But not her.

At that last thought, her mind reminded herself that she was angry at Jason, angry that he had the _nerve_ to use her to cheat on her sister, even if Drew was cheating on Austin at the same time. No, she wasn't going to let that one little comment flatter her. It's going to take a lot more.

"Why Piper?" Kylie jumped, liking where this topic was going.

"Uh . . . she's . . . nice, I guess," Jason stuttered.

_Nice. A very special compliment. Thanks, Jas,_ Piper silently thought, rolling her eyes.

Marina stared at him, obviously wanting more words to pop out of that mouth of his. Jason sighed, knowing he couldn't get this daughter of Aphrodite to drop the question. He should've known anyways.

"She's definitely not like all of you," he began, causing the two hosts to frown. "But she's different, which is a good start. For example, you guys are always squealing, and you're trying to look good by wearing designer clothes and fancy make-up. But with Piper, she doesn't even try. I think she looks beautiful without trying."

The two hosts cooed on the screen, while the Son of Jupiter's eyes widened as he realized what he had said. His cheeks grew crimson red, as he tried to avoid the camera's gaze.

Piper got to admit. Her heart did a little skip when he said she was beautiful. And she didn't even _try_. _No_, she told herself, clenching her hands into fists. _He's a jerk. He's like every other boy out there._

Leo watched as his friend's face turned all fluttery. He smiled, knowing that Piper liked the compliment. But the next expression got his mind spinning around. On her face, a _frown_ had replaced that expression, as anger welled up inside her eyes. He watched in confusion as she clenched her fist, tighter and tighter as more anger boiled up inside of her. Her fist turned white, before she finally relaxed.

He'll figure that later on. Right now, he wanted to watch his friend embarrass himself.

"If you could change _one_ thing about Piper, what would it be?" Marina asked, edging closer to her sister, who was sitting closer to Jason.

"Nothing really. It's best if she stayed the way she is," he replied. Leo chuckled, knowing that his friend was trying to say that in the safest way possible.

Kylie nodded, agreeing with him. "Yeah, I don't want Piper to change either. She's great just the way she is." Marina nodded, agreeing with the two of them.

Piper smiled. It felt good to know that she was loved.

"OK, now we know about this other girl _Reyna_," Marina spat, as if the word was some sort of ancient disease. _Couldn't agree more_, Piper growled silently in her head.

"So, we're going to play a game of Truth. What's the whole dealy-o?" she continued.

Jason's face turned into a frown. "Truth, eh? Well, I guess I _used _to have a crush on her, but now she's gone all . . . weird. She's almost _possessive_ of me, and sometimes, I can't help but feel a little . . . uncomfortable."

Kylie nodded. "I would feel the same. So, what are the _good_ things you like about Reyna?"

Jason's face softened. "Well, I guess she's a great friend, and _really_ easy to talk to. She's a really good training partner too, since she's practically obsessed with it. I guess she's kinda pretty," Jason decided, shrugging slightly.

A pang of jealousy went inside Piper. So Jason thought she was pretty. Piper shook her head. That's already _three_ girls.

"Well, Jason, our time is running up. So why don't we close this with an easy question shall we?" Kylie asked innocently.

"Sure," the said boy shrugged.

"OK, now we want you to blurt the answer as soon as we ask the question, OK?" Kylie continued, and Jason nodded.

"Good. Now here's the question: Who's the girl for you? Piper or Reyna?"

Piper gasped when she heard Jason blurt the answer. She swore that she thought she was right. But his words took her breath away, because she knew it was sincere. So what _had_ happened at Bunker 9?

"Piper," Jason blurted, and his cheeks turned red. Kylie smiled, and the two hosts did a closing for the show.

Leo stood up, and told Piper that he had to go. The Daughter of Aphrodite just stared at the screen, trying to figure out the puzzle. She smiled a little, finally knowing that she had a chance.

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><p><strong>Phew! That was a lot! 3,176 words! Most I've written in a long time (last I wrote around 3,300 words was in June :) ) Anyways, please update! Jasper drama coming in the next chapter! It's gonna get pretty intense! :P<strong>

**REVIEW!  
>I LOVE YOU ALL! <strong>


	10. Chapter 8: Reyna's Rage

**Hey! I'm back! Let's reply your reviews first, shall we?**

**Reply to Reviews:**

**valerie325: It's fine! But I'm glad you reviewed :D To Piper, it's a JasonxPiperxDrewxReyna conflict (LOL, 3 girls, 1 boy), but to Reyna, it's a JasonxPiperxReyna conflict. Drew is just worried about her plan, and Jason is worried about not being able to get Piper :P A _lot_ of conflicts.**

**XxForeseeingHadesFuturexX: Hahahaha High five! We have the same problem, woohoo! *high fives* LOL. Actually, it's only 7 Chapters (Seeing as one in the disclaimer, and the other is the Prologue) but I guess it's the same! And thank _you_ for being one of the reviewers! I remember you very well ;)**

**redlox2: Thanks! I know, Drew is _waaaaay_ OOC, but if she wasn't like that, this could've never happen, could it?**

**Pinky456: I thought about it, and here's your wish come true! Your suggestion actually _helped_ the plot! Thanks so much!**

**Me: I know! I read this to my little sister, and I was like, "Wow. This is shorter than I thought ._." LOL**

**LovesToReadOnline: Here's the update? Was Leo OOC? I was kinda worried that I made him OOC :/ And it _is_ cute, isn't it?**

**angwyn: Seriously, Ang. If you say sorry _one more time_, I swear on Styx that I'll rip you head off and hand it over to my uncle Hades. (I'm not very original, am I?) LOL And I'm glad you liked it! Tons of love to you too! :)**

**ares'sdaughter4ever: Heeeeey! It's you! I'm sorry I haven't updated that one yet :( Don't worry, next chapter coming out after this :D Oh, and tell Alexis I'm sorry! Oh wait. She's my OC. Never mind! I'll tell her myself :P Keep rocking too! (Btw, what's your name? LOL) And call me Winona/Sarah, whichever you prefer ;)**

**Thalico-freak-99-Hecatejewel: Thanks for reviewing! Here's the next chapter!**

**The Moonlit Waters: Yeah, but aren't we all? LOL Oh, and good luck on your exams! :DDD**

**lala45768: _Thank you!_ And you're welcome :D**

**Mythologyrocks3: Is this update a little _too_ early for your liking? *smirk* LOL. When you sent that review, I was _just_ writing the final paragraph of the chapter! It took a long time because of these endless reviews! Not that it's a bad thing :)**

**THANKS TO ALL WHO REVIEWED!**

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><p><span>Chapter 8: Reyna's Rage<span>

She screamed in anger, throwing over a table. She was supposed to be studying Latin that afternoon with Hazel, who took the same classes as she did at camp. But _no_, Hazel _insisted_ that they watched that stupid show Venus's Greek spawns created. And what happened in the end? A Reyna Catastrophe.

"Chill, Rey!" Hazel said, trying to calm her friend down.

Reyna turned her head towards Hazel. Fury roared in her eyes, and Hazel swore she could see fire rising up from inside them. She shuddered, remembering that one time she met Mars.

"_Chill_? You want me to _chill_? If you haven't noticed, Haze, Jason just _insulted_ me in front of _the whole world_!" she yelled, and Hazel could feel the air tingling slightly.

The doors of Reyna's cabin flung open, and on cue, Arum and Argentium growled, their ruby eyes fixed on the door, ready to pounce the intruder.

"Aurum! Argentium! _Calcem_!" she ordered in Latin, and the automatons reluctantly settled down, sitting by their master's feet.

A pudgy boy entered the room, a huge grin plastered on his face. "Did you see that episode? Man, that was Jason! _Jason_! What was the guy thinking?"

Hazel glared at the boy, bringing her hand to her neck and pretending to swipe her head off. Her eyes told him to shut off the conversation, but the boy didn't get the message.

"Man, Rey! If I were you, I'd be on a rampage right now! Storming the whole camp, getting Lupa angry with you. It'll be _epic_!" he continued.

"Shut it, Frank!" Reyna snapped, her brown eyes glaring at the boy. Aurum and Argentium growled at him too, sensing their master's rage.

Frank shrugged, and plopped on Reyna's bed. He took off the backpack that was slung over his shoulders, and took out his notebook full of Latin words. Grabbing a pencil and an eraser, he faced Hazel, completely ignoring the other _important _demigod, he asked, "What do we have to do again?"

Reyna glared at the boy, who just shrugged. Her eyes drifted to the TV, not able to _believe_ what Jason had said about her. She sighed. At least he said she was pretty. But he called that Piper girl _beautiful_. There was no _way_ she could top _that_.

She started walking towards the door, leaving Hazel and Frank alone in the room. "Where are you going? We haven't finished Latin yet!" Hazel's voice cried out, but Reyna just kept marching forward. She was going to have a word with Lupa.

Arum and Argentium followed their master, their ruby eyes glaring at anyone who looked at their master in curiosity. Not that she noticed, but it was nice to have someone, or some_thing_, to tell people to back off.

She marched to the main building, and knocked on the door. She could hear silent echoes inside the hollow building, and a harpy opened the door to greet her.

"Reyna! What a surprise to see you," she said, smirking slightly.

Reyna rolled her eyes. She knew that the harpy knew about the show, and knew that she came here to protest. "Move aside, Ella. I need to talk to Lupa," she ordered, trying to get past her.

"But Reyna," Ella gently protested, "you know how Lupa is. She doesn't want to see demigods for some bizarre reason . . . like _yours_."

Her automatons got ready to attack. Reyna raised her hand to stop them from pouncing forward. Aurum settled down slightly, but Argentium kept its ground, its ruby eyes glaring at the harpy.

"Ella," Reyna said gently, but her eyes told a different story. "_I need to talk to Lupa._"

Ella could feel Reyna's voice slowly turning into a growl, and she would be more than happy to put her hand down to allow her dogs to pounce on her and rip her to shreds. And she didn't want to go to Tartarus any time soon.

The harpy sighed, and stepped aside. Reyna marched in without saying another word, and Aurum and Argentium followed her lead, glaring at the harpy while doing so.

Reyna marched down the empty hall, until she came upon a door. She knocked three times—three times to let Lupa know that it's a demigod at the door.

She could hear Lupa growl from the inside. She took that as a sign to come in.

When she got in, the giant wolf was staring at her, its stern eyes unhappy about the visit. _She knows the reason_, Reyna silently thought. She frowned, ready to scream at the Mother Wolf.

"Lupa, how could you? Sending Jason to the enemy camp! He's _ours_, not theirs, and he doesn't _belong_ among those . . . those . . . _diseased people_," she spat, frowning at the thought of Jason being in the Greek camp.

Lupa just looked at the demigod with little interest. _And your point?_

"We cannot send our camp leader, _camp leader_, to the enemy camp! That is just _wrong_! A mistake!" she yelled, her voice getting higher and higher.

Lupa pounced in front of Reyna, and began circling the demigod. Aurum and Argentium just sat on the floor, knowing that this wolf was someone they should respect. If she hurt their master, so be it.

_It was not a mistake, foolish pup. And the Greeks are no longer our enemy—if you haven't noticed, you are very much Greek as you are Roman. Our ancestor, Aeneas, was the son of the goddess Venus herself. He was _Greek_, born in the _Greek_ times of the gods. He became Roman when he started a new race of people, the race of the invulnerable Romans._

Reyna stared at the wolf as she 'spoke' those words. She couldn't be Greek. They were a _disease_. Except Percy. And maybe Annabeth. They were pretty cool. But the other Greeks . . . they were a _deranged disease._

_But I'm sure that isn't the matter at hand. What did you wish to speak to me about, _Reyna? The wolf growled, stopping in front of the demigod. Her cold stare sent shivers down Reyna's spine, but as a Roman, she showed no sign of weakness.

"I want to go to Camp Half-Blood," she said, stating her request. She knew she had little chance in getting this permission, but if Jason could take a shot, then she could too.

_And what may this reason be? Jason gave me a pretty good answer, unlike what I fear yours might be,_ Lupa said, sitting down on the floor, still staring at Reyna. Her eyes had softened a tiny bit, but Reyna could feel the power the Mother Wolf possessed, radiating from the wolf herself.

Reyna knew she couldn't tell Lupa the real reason. She had to come up with a lie, and trick Lupa to grant it to her. What reason would be good enough to convince Lupa to give her the chance?

"Well, since you know my answer, I'm guessing you wouldn't agree," Reyna began, still trying to find an extra answer.

_No_, the wolf agreed, eyeing the demigod suspiciously. _No tricks, pup._

Reyna mentally cursed in Latin. "Well, I was talking to Hazel and Frank, and they were saying that . . . saying that they . . . they missed hanging out with Percy, Annabeth, Leo and _Piper_," she said, an idea popping in her head. "And I was thinking that maybe . . ."

_You could use this lie to get your chance to go to the Greek camp?_ Lupa asked, narrowing her eyes at the demigod.

Reyna cursed. _The answer is a no, Reyna. Now go, get back to training,_ she ordered.

Reyna politely bowed to the Mother Wolf and trailed out of the main building. As soon as they left the room, her automatons went back to defense mode.

Reyna clenched her fists. She was going to get that ticket—one way or another.

* * *

><p>"Lupa, you must give the girl a chance," a stunning voice said from far corner of the room.<p>

Lupa turned, to see a beautiful goddess, wearing a pink full Roman toga. Her soft brown curls lay sweetly on her shoulders, and her eyes flashed colors just like Piper's did.

_Venus_, the Mother Wolf acknowledge, bowing at the presence of the goddess. Venus was greatly respected by the Romans, seeing as she was their divine ancestor. Lupa shook her head at the thought of the way the Greeks treated her, disapproving the manner.

"I play a fair game in love, and you know it," she said, her eyes—now blue—looking at Lupa. "The girl deserves a chance to chase her love, even if it does mean slightly breaking my daughter's heart." Her face morphed into sadness.

Her form shimmered, and in place stood the same woman with a Greek chiton. A dove was perched on her shoulder, and a girdle hung around her arms. Lupa mentally groaned.

"Although," she began, liking her _ingenious_ plan more and more, "it _would_ create a drama! Oh, please, Lupa, send the _whole _camp to Camp Half-Blood! They could have a Christmas celebration together. They would be bounded. Nothing can separate them anymore!"

Thunder boomed in the sky, protesting the idea. "And they'll be bounded as a family," she added softly, smiling at the thought. The thunder subsided, and the goddess of love knew she scored a point against her dad. She'll have to thank Hera later on.

Lupa sighed, knowing she couldn't argue with a goddess's request—much less the divine ancestor. _I shall inform the campers immediately_, she agreed, and Aphrodite squealed.

"I'll send a ride by tomorrow morning!" she said, and transformed into her godly form. The light subsided, and Lupa stood in the room alone.

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><p>Reyna was back in her cabin, scribbling pointless words onto her paper. She couldn't concentrate on her small task. One; she had <em>dyslexia<em> for goodness sake. And they expected her to spell. Two; _ADHD._ She can't just sit still and do her mini training. And three; she had no way to go to Camp Half-Blood. If she ran away from camp, she won't be accepted anymore.

She drummed her fingers on the hard cover of her notebook. "Reyna, will you _please_ stop that!" Hazel protested, tugging the ends of her hair.

Reyna glared at her friend. If only she had some small ticket of some kind. Doesn't matter what form. As long as she was able to go . . .

The doors burst open, and her automatons went to attack mode. "_Calcem_," she ordered.

Once again, Frank entered, a huge grin on his face. A girl trailed behind him, a smirk on her face.

"What do you want, Gwen, Frank?" Reyna asked, her tone exasperated.

Gwen and Frank shared a knowing look. "Guess what Rey? We're joining loverboy at Camp Half-Blood."

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><p><strong>LOL, that sound's just like Chapter 3: The Ticket, except this is the ticket for Reyna! I know, Reyna is slightly, uh, 'beach'-y (LOL) in this chapter, but she hates Piper's guts. And she's in love with Jason. What did you expect? :P<strong>

**REVIEW!  
>YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING! <strong>


	11. Chapter 9: Breaking News

**Hello! It's me again! 103 reviews! Thank you _soooooo_ much! OK, before we go on with the story, let's reply your reviews, shall we?**

**Reply to Reviews****:**

**The Moonlit Waters: Yep ;) This is my very first drama story, so I'm absolutely _psyched_!**

**Broken hearted girl Horn: Sorry Whip (LOL, I love that nickname ;) )! Sometimes, things tend to splatter out of my mouth. I'll try (very very hard) to avoid it. And you tried that? Wow. What did the clerk say?**

**redlox2: Aphrodite just can't resist drama, can she? She loves toying with people's love lives. I hate her sometimes *thunder booms* Sorry! Anyways, just assume their parents the same as the book when it comes out ;) I'd love to guess, but my suspicion on Reyna and Frank has been proven wrong :( And besides, I'd like it if this was the same as the book ;)**

**Pinky456: Should Piper slap Reyna? Hmm... I'll think about that ;) And thanks! Venus is more disciplined about love, so of course she'll worry about her Piper :) But as Aphrodite... hehe... not a very good personality, huh?**

**angywn: You are very religious, aren't you? God bless you too! And don't worry, I'll put that thought in mind ;) you can send me any prayer requests as well. You know my email address :) I'd love to pray for you :D And yes, I'm awesome so that's why I update 2 stories in one day :P And call me Sarah/Winona. Your choice ;) And everybody loves smileys! Look how many smileys _I_ used!**

**lala45768: I'm glad you loved it! I wasn't planning to do any chapters in Reyna's POV. You can thank Pinky456 for giving the idea ;) All credit goes to her :)**

**XxForeseeingHadesFuturexX: LOL! (I'm laughing hysterically right now XD) Awkward, isn't it? I reread this chapter while listening to Club Can't Handle Me. I mean, _that_ doesn't make sense at all. Hahaha thanks so much! Oh, and I just read one of your one-shots. It was _terrific_! Write more, will ya ;) I can help, if you want. I'm not a beta for nothing ;)**

**roach26: LOL, even I don't know. I'm just waiting 'til the book comes out. Which is ANOTHER FREAKING MONTH! OK, maybe not _so_ much, but you get what I mean :/**

**but-thatsjustme-dealwithit: Really? That's so cool! None of them are my friend's name... they're really just random names that popped it my head :P Except Amber. She was a friend of mine when I used to live in England (not anymore, though).**

**THANKS TO ALL WHO REVIEWED!  
>NEXT CHAPTER: WEDNESDAY, 21st SEPTEMBER, 2011<br>WITH RICK RIORDAN NEWS AS WELL ;)**

**P.S. I don't think there's an author's note where I didn't put a single smiley :P (there I go again XD) **

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><p><span>Chapter 9: Breaking News<span>

Everything was perfect until that moment arrived.

Piper was trailing down the snowy path, making her way back to her cabin just after archery. She had been spending time with Leo and Jason—as much as she hated to—for the past two hours, but now, her sisters and her had to go plan the next episode of _The Talk of Today_.

She watched as the Stoll brothers try out the new snow mobile they had stolen, which she had _no_ idea where they had gotten it. Poor Katie, who was staying at camp for the winter, had to run after her boyfriend and her brother, yelling at them to stop.

She chuckled. It was a weird pair. The great, responsible Katie Gardner was dating the reckless, irresponsible, Travis Stoll. Was camp _that_ weird?

She shook her head, and focused on what she was doing. A snowball whizzed right past her head. She looked to her right, to see the Athena cabin playing a game of snowball fight against the Poseidon, Hades (Nico was here this week), and Ares cabin. She couldn't imagine why Ares and Poseidon had teamed up.

Nico di Angelo stabbed his Stygian Iron sword to the ground, letting a flood of skeleton army pour out of the white blanket. The skeleton army charged at the Athena kids, using snowballs as their weapons.

Piper carefully made her way through the sea of skeletons and flying snowballs. She ducked carefully, dodging a round patch of snow heading her way. Finally, she reached the Barbie house. Home sweet home. Or not.

She pressed the handle down, and pushed the door open. She frowned when she saw that the tiny corridor (that was no longer that two feet) had a hot pink curtain separating the door from the cabin. She sighed, wondering if her sisters would ever stop redecorating. There was already enough _pink_.

Her fingers tugged on the pink curtains, and pushed them aside, revealing a huge bunch of boys and girls, sitting in the room, chatting and gossiping. Boys were playing video games, while talking about the hottest girls and movies (and complains that Megan Fox wasn't in the latest Transformer movie), while the girls were doing their hair and make-up. _Again_.

Piper made her way to her bed, and threw herself on it. She kicked her combat boots off, grabbing a hair bubble to tie her choppy brown hair. A few strands framed her face, as her eyes shifted to the color green. Those very green eyes watched as her sisters giggle and mention someone name Jasper.

"Who's Jasper?" she blurted, and every pair of eyes went on her.

Some hesitated. Some giggled. Some were blushing crimson red, while others just gawked at her, wondering how she picked up the person's name.

Jessica started whispering to Amber, who nodded, then whispered to Marina, and soon, everybody was whispering—until they landed on Drew.

All eyes stared at her, asking her what they should do. They couldn't tell Piper about Plan Jasper—could they? It was a surprise, a little harmless trick that they were planning on the daughter of Aphrodite herself.

Besides, if she knew, then there plan wouldn't work for sure.

"Uh, it's this guy in the Apollo cabin," Drew lied. She remembered Austin telling her something about a new guy in the Apollo cabin. If she was right, his name was Jasper. One thing she _did_ remember about Jasper was that all his brothers thought that his name was too . . . Athena-ish.

"Jasper?" Piper echoed. She hadn't heard of a Jasper in the Apollo cabin. The only people she knew from the Apollo cabin was Austin, Kayla and Will Solace. Well, there's Lia Martin, but she's a total snob. Doesn't count.

Drew nodded. "Jessica thinks he's hot," she lied. She could feel her sister's glare on her. Oh well. Piper would probably think she's angry with her for telling the 'whole world'. "But Austin says he's a total geek."

"Got that right," she heard her sister mumble from behind her. Amber, who was sitting beside her, elbowed her in the rib. "Ow!"

Piper stared at her blond sister, as she grinned sheepishly. "I don't think he's a geek," Jessica quickly said. She wasn't into him; she barely _knew_ him. But he walks around, holding a book of some sort. More like an Athena kid if you asked me.

"OK then," Piper said slowly, not sure if she should buy her sister's confession. It was weird for Jessica to like a guy named _Jasper_, especially if Austin thinks he's a geek. One of Jessica's best friends was Austin, and should know _very_ well what Austin was talking about.

Lacy gave a sigh of relief, exhaling the breath she didn't know she had been holding. If her sister didn't buy that stupid story, then their plan would just crumble to dust.

"OK, new topics," Kylie quickly interjected, trying to get off the Jasper topic. "We need a guest and some questions. Now—"

Suddenly, the doors burst open, and Leo and Jason came waltzing in. Piper drummed her fingers on the soft mattress impatiently, trying to look like she was busy.

"What, Leo?" she asked, completely ignoring Jason.

Leo snorted. Piper had told him all about the Jason problem. She can't avoid the guy all day, and besides, she heard the guy herself. If Jason hangs out with one of them, it'll end up being the three of them anyways.

"Chiron's calling all cabin counselors. No, not a war council—that's far behind us," he explained, watching as his friend roll her eyes, as they shifted color in the process.

Piper sighed, and got up, putting her feet in her boots once more. She straightened her wrinkled T-shirt before turning to her sisters. "Be right back," she announced, before heading out the door with her Leo and _him_.

Drew raised an eyebrow as her warm brown eyes watched her younger sister leave the building. What was so important that Chiron has called a meeting?

* * *

><p>The room was buzzing with people. Annabeth and Percy were having a game of rock, paper, scissors. Travis was busy sucking Katie's face off. Connor was trying to scoot further and further away from his brother, having a <em>very<em> uncomfortable look on his face.

Nico di Angelo was busy pranking Butch, counselor of the Iris cabin, along with Lou Ellen. You could see skeleton arms poking out of the ground, while pencils went ahead and poke Butch on the arm. Butch was getting freaked out by the skeletons, and annoyed by the pencils, that he practically yelled at the two kids to back off.

Piper sighed and took a seat next to Annabeth, while Leo plopped down on the seat beside her. Jason sat next to Leo, as usual. This was how they sat. Three in a row.

Chiron entered the room, in his wheelchair form, of course. His face looked worried and almost unhappy, as he was stroking his beard worriedly.

"OK, now I'm not so sure. Judging Chiron's face, this _could_ be a war council," Leo whispered in her ear.

Piper glared at him. "You think?"

The centaur cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention. Everyone, that is, besides Travis and Katie.

"Gods, we aren't like that, are we?" Piper heard Annabeth whisper, and she couldn't help but let a small giggle escape her lips.

"Nah," Piper whispered back. "Not when you're in public, anyways."

"Ahem," Chiron cleared his throat again, louder this time. Travis kept sucking off the Daughter of Demeter's face, wrapping his arms around her waist tighter, as her own arms pulled the Son of Hermes closer.

"I got this," Connor sighed. He grabbed a ruler from the ping-pong table and slapped Travis's head with it. "Dude! We're starting! Everybody's staring at you."

They broke instantly. Katie's face was flushed, completely red. Travis was no better either. His hair was messy and tussled, as he avoided people's gazes due to the embarrassment.

"Perhaps, we shall talk about this later on, Travis, Katie," the old centaur announced. Connor snickered softly, earning a glare from his older brother. The couple's faces only grew redder as Chiron eyed them carefully.

The centaur then turned his eyes away from the two, turning to face the rest of them. Piper rested her head on the table, and Jason couldn't help but smile. She looked so cute.

"Now, as you know, Jason is here, visiting from the Roman camp," Chiron explained, and cheers erupted from the counselors. Jason just smiled, happy to get all the attention.

Chiron waited for the cheering to die down, before continuing. "Yes. Well, Lupa and I, along with Lady Aphrodite—" all eyes went on Piper "—have decided that it would be best for you to spend some time together, two camps combined. Lady Hera—" at her name mentioned, Annabeth frowned "—agrees on this as well, seeing how you could bond together as a family. The Romans will be arriving in three days' time."

Lou Ellen timidly raised a hand. Chiron nodded at her, motioning her to speak. "Um, where would they stay?"

"Fair question, child. They shall be staying in their respective cabins, according to their godly parent," the centaur replied.

Jason raised his hand. "What happens if their godly parent is a Roman god? Like Janus or Pompona?" he asked. As Camp Jupiter's leader, it was his job to make sure that everybody had a place to stay at Camp Half-Blood.

Chiron stroked his beard, his eyebrow arched as he thought of a solution. "Good," he decided. "We'll let them stay in the Hermes cabin."

Connor and Travis groaned. Who knew how many Pompona or Janus kids there were.

"Alright, meeting adjourned. Go back to your activities," the centaur announced, and everybody ran out of the door.

Jason grabbed her hand, just before she left the room. "Hey, don't you wanna hang?"

Piper hesitated. Sure, she wanted to hang. Besides, she missed him. She missed spending hours and hours and _hours_ with Leo and Jason, just the three of them. And she missed _him_.

Then she remembered what she heard, and her mind reminded herself of the show she was working on. She shook her head, realizing how much work had to be done. Besides, she has to solve this Jason situation.

"It's not that I don't want to Jas. I do, I _really_ do. It's just . . . I have too much work at hand. It's not easy being counselor," she said.

"It's not easy being a leader either," Jason protested.

"Yeah, but the gods are counting on _us_ to film the next episode. And we hardly booked any new appearances! I _have_ to help," she told him, and ran off to her cabin without another word.

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><p>Every single eye went over to her as soon as they heard the door slammed shut. "Well?" Mitchell asked, tapping his foot impatiently. "What did Chiron say?"<p>

Piper bit her lip. "Guys, stack the beds, we're going to put bunks on top of ours," she announced. Everyone groaned.

There weren't too many of them in the Aphrodite cabin, so each and every single girl _and_ boy got their own bed. But whenever the needed _more_ beds, there was always a button on the wall that would stack another bed on top of yours, transforming it into a bunk bed.

"Why?" Tess's tiny voice asked. She had _just_ gotten used to having her own bed, after being crammed up in the Hermes cabin for two months. She liked having her own bed. No mattresses on top of you to stare at.

Piper pressed the button beside her own bed, and her bed transformed into a bunk bed. Her feet led her outside the cabin, ready to scout for people to be on their show. "The Romans are coming," she said calmly.

Everybody stared at her in disbelief and that's when she realized something she never did before. Romans equal Reyna.

She angrily slammed the door shut, before running off to find a guest unwillingly.

Marina turned to her siblings, her face full of worry. "Guys," she said softly, getting their attention. "Romans."

Everyone knew what she was talking about. When the Romans were coming, that meant _Reyna_ was coming, and that was _not_ part of their plan.

"Alright," Drew announced. "We need to change tactics. Kylie, jot everything down. This road will get a whole lot bumpier."

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading this chapter! I hoped you liked it! Now I gotta study Math. Stupid Math teacher. Stupid Math test. Oh chizz (I do not cuss... except sometimes in German :P)! I have ethics homework! GTG! Please, please, please review! It means a lot to me!<strong>

**Love you all! God bless!**

**P.S. Can anyone guess which grade I am in? I'll dedicate the next chapter to the one who guesses correctly first!**

**P.P.S. To "The Moonlit Waters": Don't you _dare_ tell them Sel *glares* ;)**

**XOXO,  
><strong>**winonabcd**


	12. Chapter 10: Welcome Demigods!

**Hey! I'm back again! Lemme reply your reviews first, k?**

**Reply to Reviews****:**

**angywn: Thanks! What kind of Christian are you? Catholic, Protestan... or maybe something else? And if you wanna know the answer, scroll down!**

**aliciajackson: Seriously, that was funny? I read it to my sister, and she didn't think it was _that_ funny. Oh well. I guess she doesn't have a funny bone! (that joke is waaaay overrated :P)**

**redlox2: Hahaha yeah, I know! If I type Percabeth or Thalico, that red dotted line appears beneath the word. But when I type Jasper... it's all fine :P Oh, and are you a Thalico fan? (I'm not that much of a fan, LOL)**

**The Moonlit Waters: Who isn't excited for the book? I mean, COME ON! Only two more weeks, people! My blood pressure's high, and I think my ADHD (which I don't have) is getting worse! Riordan, please release the book early! :DDDD**

**CimFan: Thanks! Tell me what you think of this one ;)**

**Rithika: To find out, scroll down! :D**

**lala45768: Hmmmmm... To find out the answer, scroll down ;)**

**Mytholgyrocks3: ALERT! Hahahahaha. Drama officially begins in the next chapter. The first official drama will be during the PAR-TAY! (you'll found out about that later on ;) )**

**XxForeseeingHadesFuturexX: Wow that's one long review. Which is good! Thanks Abby and Stygian! I'll tell Percy how awesome you are... once I find my twin... ANYWAYS, thanks so much! I actually read this while going to the bathroom, LOL. Just before class started. Enough about toilets. I'm glad you LOVED the chapter. You're one of my favorite reviewers. I'll tell that to Nico. He's my best couz ;)**

**LoveToReadOnline: Hahahaha Personally, I love Connor :P And having BOTH the Stoll bros on the show would be E-P-I-C! I'll put them some time else ;) Don't worry, I'm going with the plan :D**

**Liana: How about this chapter?**

**Me: I don't cuss. So I say beach-y hahahaha Nice touch, don't you think? :P**

**THANK YOU ALL!**

**FOR RICK RIORDAN NEWS, SCROLL TO THE VERY BOTTOM.  
>TO READ ON TO THE STORY, JUST SCROLL DOWN.<strong>

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><p><strong><em>This chapter is dedicated to lala45768<br>_****_I'm a FRESHMAN (9th Grade)_**

Chapter 10: Welcome Demigods!

Piper woke up that morning, throwing her covers off the bed. She grabbed a T-shirt and some jeans, before quickly running off into the shower.

She let the warm water soak through her hair, letting the fuzzy feeling of the warmth the water gave run through her. She smiled in delight, before getting out, and quickly putting on her clothes.

She stepped outside, where her siblings were slowly waking. The Romans were scheduled to arrive that evening, around four. Being disciplined, Chiron figured that they would arrive on time.

And so what ingenious plan did her cabin offer? A beach welcome party. And of course, Percy agreed, so pretty much everyone was OK with it.

"Alright everyone, rise and shine! We've got a busy day ahead of us! _The Talk of Today _is filming the beach party and behind the scenes, so we need to move, move, move!" she ordered.

"Alright, Captain Stone-Heart," Jessica's voice said from under her covers. "But I need my beauty sleep, so I'll be up in ten."

Murmurs of agreement broke out from the crowd, but some of them willingly got up, racing to the showers. Piper shook her head. "Don't you guys want to decorate for the _beach party_?"

That woke them up. The remaining guys and girls rushed about, claiming their place to get to the showers. Little Tess got out, her blond hair soaked in water and a goofy grin on her face. Piper shook her head and helped the little one get dressed.

In about an hour, everyone in the cabin was ready. _New world record!_ Piper silently joked, as her lips curled into a grin.

Guys quickly zipped up their snowboarding jackets, while girls buttoned their winter coats. Finally, everyone was ready.

Breakfast zoomed by fast. In her tender hands was a clipboard, with the list of things her cabin was in charge of.

Everyone gathered around her, waiting for their jobs. Piper's eyes scanned the page, reading the tasks one by one, deciding which task would be good for who.

"Alright," she decided, and pointed to Mitchell and Ryan. "You guys are in charge of Fireworks, along with the Hephaestus cabins. I'm trusting you to choose the best summer and winter colors to shoot into the sky."

The boys high-fived, before rushing off to find Leo's cabin. Piper's eyes studied her siblings, deciding the next pair. "Jessica and Amber, you're in charge of the picnic blankets. Decide where the picnic blankets should be and all that," she ordered, letting her sisters have a short squeal before heading off to find the 'most romantic spot'.

"Marina, Kylie, Joey, Katrina and Caleb, you're in charge of decorations. Not too much pink. Mix a little summer and winter," Piper ordered, and the five of them ran off to create streamers and blow up balloons.

"And finally Drew, Lacy, Stephanie, Leah, Courtney and Zia, you're in charge of the midnight dance," she said, and the six girls squealed, before running off to plan the whole dance.

Piper felt a tug on her sleeve, and she looked down, to see her little sister staring up at her. "I know I'm too young, but I want to help too, Piper," Tess complained, her voice whiney.

The older demigod laughed, and patted her head. "You've got a special task," she said, her eyes twinkling. "You're going to help me with all the big girl duty. And you know what that is?"

Tess shook her head, wondering why her sister's job was so important.

Piper smiled sweetly. She hated the task Chiron has given her, but she had to do it. Tess's eyes grew wider, pleading for an answer. "Come on, Tess. We're in charge of the whole party."

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><p>Drew pressed the <em>play<em> button on her iTouch, and the song _Last Friday Night_ blasted out of the speakers. Her sisters cheered, as their cheeks turned red from blowing up so many balloons.

Their cabin door burst open, and Leah ran in, her cheeks puffy. Sweat trickled down her forehead, though Drew didn't know how she could sweat in such a cold weather. At least Piper got the chance to hang in the sun.

"I found the pump thing!" she declared, and everybody cheered. Courtney laughed and grabbed the pump, putting a flattened balloon at the edge.

Zia grabbed another gold paper, before using her scissors to cut the paper into streamers. "You know what would be awesome?" she asked, her voice full of excitement. "When the clock strikes midnight, we can let balloons fly into the air, glowing in the dark, while couples kiss on the sandy beach."

The girls sighed contently, wishing that they were one of the couples. Drew knew that she would be one of them. "Then why don't we? We can put those special lights the Hephaestus cabin made—they're really great for lighting balloons in the dark!"

Lacy stood up, brushing paper off her lap. "I'll go ask for some," she offered, and ran off to find a Hephaestus kid.

"I wish one of those couples would be Jasper," Stephanie sighed contently, while her sisters nodded in agreement. "I mean, that would be _so_ cute!"

"We still have to figure out this Reyna problem you know," Courtney sang, her eyes twinkling.

Zia scooted closer to her sister. "What's your plan?"

A cheeky smile played on her lips. "Well . . ."

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><p>Reyna drummed her fingers impatiently. She wanted to get to the Greek camp, see Jason, and get him to be all hers!<p>

Her eyes stared out of the window, not thinking about how slim her chances are. Hazel watched her friend, not saying a word, but occasionally having silent conversations with Frank.

Finally, the hills came to sight, and the pine tree revealed itself to the demigods. Everyone hopped off the vans impatiently, running up to edge of the hill to form their respective legions.

Reyna waited for everyone in her legion to arrive, calling their names for attendance. After reporting to Lupa that everyone was present, the Mother Wolf led the Romans up the hill and past the magical borders.

She watched as the image changed before her eyes, to reveal laughing kids, running in the snow, making snow angels, snowmen, and fighting with snowballs.

In the middle of the cabin area, where a fire once stood, stood a huge Christmas tree, decorated with crystals and angels, and red and blue candy canes. Below the tree, several presents were laid out, waiting to be opened on Christmas morning.

A snowball whizzed past her face, and she watched as an army of skeleton chased a harmless demigod down the hill, into an obvious trap. Maybe it was obvious because she was standing pretty high up, but it was still obvious.

Hazel smiled from next to her. "Just as I remembered it," she said, taking a deep breath of Camp Half-Blood air. _Not like it's any different from _our_ air,_ Reyna growled in her head.

A centaur walked up to them, along with twenty demigods trailing behind him. A small demigod—about six or seven—held onto an older girl's sleeve, a worried expression planted on her face.

"Lupa, it's been a while, hasn't it?" the centaur asked, looking at the Mother Wolf.

_Yes, it has. Several months, actually, Chiron,_ Reyna heard the wolf growl. She wasn't sure how Chiron understood, but the centaur nodded.

She locked eyes with a boy with electric blue eyes, and she attempted a smile. He smiled back, warm and friendly, but showing nothing more. She sighed, blowing a strand of hair off her face.

"Why don't we get you settled in, shall we? You want to be ready for the Welcoming Party we've arranged for you."

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><p>Piper led the children of Venus to her Barbie house, thinking about the exchange she saw. Being a child of the Goddess of Love, she of all people should know about smile exchanges. Reyna's smile was loving and slightly hoping, while Jason's was just plain friendly. Could he have hidden some emotions?<p>

The Venus kids giggled and gossiped behind her, talking about the random things happening in Camp Jupiter. She listened carefully, every time Jason's name was being mentioned.

Several girls had crushes on him, but they knew they would never have a chance. He had his heart on someone else. And besides, Reyna would probably skin them alive.

Piper couldn't believe it. If she tried—_tried_—to put the pieces together, she would come up with an equation: _Jason + Reyna = Perfect Match_. She didn't like that.

Then she noticed something odd. Several girls were constantly naming a guy named Jasper, the same way her sister did yesterday morning. Could it be that the Jasper kid was so well known? Maybe he was Justin Bieber in disguise.

Nah. Justin Bieber wasn't a child of Apollo, that's for sure.

She opened the cabin doors, to reveal Drew and her gang sighing onto their beds. She laughed. "What _are_ you guys doing?"

Lacy jumped off her bed, her arms raised in the air. "We finished the décor!" she yelled, doing a mini happy dance.

Behind her, several Romans laughed, and she could hear the boys laughing hardest. They probably found it cute, and wished that _every_ girl would do that.

"OK, I'll just leave you to it," she said, squeezing Tess's tiny hand. She had almost forgotten that the tiny girl was still with her. "Tess and I have a _lot_ of work to do. See you in ten!" Piper left the cabin, with Tess shuffling behind her.

Drew jumped up, and faced the Venus kids. "Whose side are you on? _Jason + Reyna_, or Jasper?"

A chorus of _Jasper_ came out from the crowd, and the Greeks cheered. "Jasper is _so_ much cuter," a Roman said, and Stephanie agreed. "Reyna doesn't deserve a pairing name."

"I know right!" another squealed, and soon, everyone started filling in the empty bunks.

Courtney walked up to the middle of the room. "Alright, since you guys know Reyna best, what does Reyna hate more than anything else?"

"Being wrong," a guy piped up, lifting his eyes from a notebook he was carrying. "She hates it if she was wrong, or humiliated in front of millions of people."

A sly smirk crawled up on Courtney's face, before she turned to her Greek sisters. "See? What'd I tell you? This plan is pure genius!"

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><p><strong>RICK RIORDAN NEWS:<strong>

**New character revealed! Meet Thanatos, God of Death! He's a good looking guy (according to the site) and works for Pluto (Hades), helping him by acting as a border to keep souls from crossing between life and death without permission. Oh, and what's up with those chains?**

**h t t p : / / d i s n e y . g o . c o m / o f f i c i a l - s i t e s / h e r o e s - o f - o l y m p u s / t h a n a t o s**

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><p><strong>And I'm done! Phew! It was fun to write, but I gotta go get some sleep now. Busy day ahead. I just wish Riordan will post Hazel's picture soon... it's killing me! She's supposed to have this crush on Percy. TWO LOVE TRIANGLES IN ONE SERIES! E-P-I-C!<strong>

**XOXO,  
>Sarah (winonabcd) [or Winona ;)]<strong>

**P.S. NEXT UPDATE: Hopefully on FRIDAY, 23rd SEPTEMBER, 2011**


	13. Chapter 11: How World War III Began

**Hey guys! Remember what I said about Hazel liking Percy in TSON? Well, there was news on the official wiki site for PJO, and it says that she _might_ have a possible crush on Frank. Now I'm utterly confused.**

**Reply to Reviews****:**

**CimFan: Hahahaha sorry I didn't update on Friday! I was soooo busy, and according to my religion, I couldn't work after sundown on Friday (opening Sabbath). I had to wait 'til sundown on Saturday, so I'm updating now ;) And I'm glad you liked it! I'm sure you'll _really_ love this chapter! (I hope :P)**

**Lieutenant Zoe Nightshade: *evil smirk* :P**

**lala45768: Thanks! I hope you like this one ;)**

**redlox2: nah. I think Minerva is a thousand times more disciplined than they are now, and Apollo are less easygoing. Mars would probably like to kill people even more as Romans, LOL :P**

**Liana: Thanks! And here's an update ;)**

**s.f. 11407 Hahahaha I know, don't worry ;)**

**roach26: I think you've figure out the book already! I mean, even _I_ didn't know that piece of information! XD**

**Pink456: I, personally, LOVE Love Triangles, though I'm not a daughter of Aphrodite/Venus. But if Percabeth's over, then PJO would be a no-no for _moi_. :P**

**The Moonlit Waters: I read that on Wikipedia loooong time ago. But according to camphalfblood wiki, Hazel has a crush on Frank. I'm utterly confused now :/**

**angwyn: Aren't we all on Team Jasper? Anyways, I'm an adventist, you know, that religion that goes to church on Saturdays? Yeah, that one. :)**

**aliciajackson: And I updated! :D**

**XxForeseeingHadesFuturexX: How's your wrist? Getting better? Anyways, I'm like addicted to writing. The longest I can go without writing was three days, but even _then_ I was using the computer and typing away, LOL :D**

**A PJO Fan: I know. I'm making her, uh... beach-y here. Sort of. Sorry, I don't cuss :P**

**Mythologyrocks3: So I shall stare it down... :O**

**valerie325: I'm glad! Well, I'm just gonna let you go on to the story, since you love it so much ;)**

**EvilAndI'mProudOfIt: I'll call you Jess ;) LOL, you're the name of one of Piper's half-sisters, and I hardly knew that that was your name! Congrats, Jess! You're sort of featured in my story! Although I'm guessing you hate daughters of Aphrodite, hehe...**

**THANKS PEOPLE! I FEEL SO BLESSED BY THE MANY REVIEWS!  
>KEEP READING, PLEASE! ;) <strong>

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><p><strong>Oh, one last quick thing. Hazel's portrait was released early on (c a m p h a l f b l o o d . w i k i a . c o m). Go to the search box and type Hazel. Some basic information about her and her portrait is already out. Check it out people ;)<strong>

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><p><span>Chapter 11: How World War III Began<span>

She took one last look in the mirror. The dress she wore was simple. It was strapless, and was pure white, except for the bottom part of the dress, which was covered in beautiful colorful flowers. The color of the dress went surprisingly well with her skin tone, and somehow managed to bring out all the different colors in her eyes.

Her hair, which had grown longer and lush, was in a tight braid, which was resting on her right shoulder. She wore no make-up, and her shoes were simple; white flip-flops.

She quickly covered herself with her snowboarding jacket, and took off her flip-flops and replaced them with her combat boots. Even if they _were_ going to go to a beach party, they had to get through the thick, freezing snow first.

Tess beamed from her seat on her bed. She liked the way her older sister looked—she looked absolutely stunning. She was glad she helped her sister look that pretty; after all, it was her that chose the dress.

She got to admit, she didn't look that bad herself. Since she chose Piper's dress, Piper got to choose what _she_ had to wear. She insisted it _had_ to be a dress, under Piper's will, of course. So naturally, Piper chose a dress that was _not_ pink.

It was a lovely pale yellow dress, with thin straps and vines of flowers embroidering the bottom. The vines rose easily, almost touching the side. Tess's blond hair was let free, waves and waves of it resting on her shoulder. Her blue eyes shot out from the look, popping to life. For a six-year-old, she _did_ look stunning.

"Come on," Piper said, grabbing her little sister's hand. She carefully buttoned her sister's violet winter coat (Tess kept saying that the shade of yellow didn't match her pink one), and slipped on a pair of winter boots. With her flip-flops and her sister's yellow ballet flats in one hand, and Tess's slender hand in the other, they walked out, ready to attend a party by the beach.

* * *

><p>Piper got to say, the party didn't look all that bad. Streamers were flying in the wind, and balloons were tied onto snack tables and trees. Couples sat on picnic blankets, enjoying the different foods the Demeter table had set up.<p>

Tess caught a glimpse of her best friend Daphne from the Apollo cabin, and grabbed her flats, which were still in Piper's hands, before racing off to do Zeus knows what.

The Daughter of Aphrodite took off her snowboarding jacket, and put it on racks they had put out. She carefully placed her boots under a table, and slipped her feet in some flip-flops.

"Wow, is beauty queen really wearing a _strapless dress_?" a voice mocked from behind her, fake shock hidden in his voice.

Piper rolled her eyes as she turned around, to face her best friend Leo. For the first time ever, the guy wasn't covered in grease or motor oil. Heck, he wasn't even loaded with tools. Sure, he still had his tool belt, but other than that, he had _nada_,

"Tess made me," she shrugged, and Leo laughed.

"A six-year-old ordering the _counselor_ of the Aphrodite cabin? Now that's just wrong. Are you sure it's not opposite day?"

Piper shook her head as the duo continued to walk, greeting some Romans on the way. In the far distance, Gwen, Dakota and Bobby were in deep conversation, with Dakota frowning every now and then.

Drew, Courtney, Lacy, Zia, Stephanie, Leah and some Roman kids were giggling and were always pointing at Jason. Uh-oh. Not good.

In their nature, it was normal for a child of Aphrodite to get too curious about their crushes. And in their nature, it was normal for a child of Aphrodite to get jealous. And when they get jealous, then _they get jealous_.

So naturally, Piper followed their gaze, and ended up staring where her half-sisters were pointing. She gasped in shock, not believing her eyes. Tears streamed in her eyes, wondering why her mother had decided to do this to her.

Leo's eyes saw the tears streaming out of his friend's eyes, and decided to follow their direction. His dark eyes followed her gaze, and his eyes widened in shock as he realized what he was looking at.

Because right there, where Jason Grace was, was Reyna, kissing Piper's love of her life.

* * *

><p>Reyna pulled back, hoping for some sort of positive reaction on Jason's face. From the corner of her eye, she had seen the impulsive, rotten, daughter of Aphrodite run away from the dance, leaving her friend standing there alone, gawking at the two of them.<p>

"Uh . . . uh . . ." were the only words that came out of the Son of Jupiter's mouth, not able to say anything at all.

Reyna twirled a strand of hair around her finger, flirting with the boy in front of her. Her dark eyes stared into his electric blue eyes, and her lips curled into a devious, yet beautiful, smile.

"Look, Reyna—" Jason began, but he was cut short when he felt her soft, pink lips smashed into his once more. What has this been? The third time that day?

He didn't know why, but his hands crept up to her waist, pulling her slightly closer. Of course, this made Reyna smile, as she slipped her arms around his neck. She smiled triumphantly, before breaking the kiss.

"See you at the Midnight Dance, babe!" she yelled as she ran off, heading towards the coat racks where Aurum and Argentium were waiting patiently for her.

* * *

><p>Piper's feet raced farther and farther, making her heart beat wilder with every step. Her breath grew heavy as she fought the strong wind, as they try to blow her back to the party at the beach.<p>

Tears streamed out of her eyes, rushing down her face. They were cold, as her skin shivered from their touch. Her pure white dress fluttered in the wind, making the flowers on her dress look nothing more than a ruffle of bright colors.

That's right, ladies and gentlemen. Piper McLean was running in a freak snowstorm.

The winds blew harder this time, as they pushed her back, slamming her back onto the bark of a tree behind her. Her back was covered in splinters, and her feet were aching and bruised. Her hair was now wild and free, as the wind blew the hair tie that was securing her braid in place away.

She slowly went down and her butt touched the freezing ground. Immediately, her heart shattered to pieces.

_This_ was real heartbreak. Knowing that your best friend and crush truly loves someone else was just too hard to bear. The way he was kissing her . . . it just seemed so right. If he was kissing _her_, then she was sure it would look plain wrong.

No matter how many times she told herself to be strong, she would _stay_ strong. But that was all a lie, a fake disguise that she wore everywhere. She tried to be strong for others around her, but when she was alone, she would break down, knowing she couldn't bare the pain.

This had only happened once—back when her dad's life seemed to be on the verge from falling apart. She had been so scared to lose him, but she didn't want to cry in front of him. She had to be strong for him.

She watched as tiny snowflakes fall down from the sky, while the winds fought all around her. In the distance, she could hear the laughter and merry music from the beach, where bad memories lasted.

Poor Leo, she had left him standing there, gawking at Jason and Reyna as they sucked off each other's faces. It must be the most terrifying thing he has ever seen. At least, in her opinion it was.

Suddenly, she heard the slow footsteps, getting closer to where she was. Her instincts grew sharper. She grew wary of her surroundings, as she listened to the footsteps. Her hand secured itself onto the hilt of her dagger, as the footsteps grew two feet closer.

_Only another inch . . ._ she told herself. _Now!_ she screamed mentally, letting her knife swing into action. Her blade stopped short, as she found herself face to face with the devil.

"Well, well, well," the brat greeted. "If it isn't the hot-headed daughter of Aphrodite. What are you doing in a snowstorm this fine late afternoon? I believe there's a party going on. As a daughter of _Aphrodite_, you wouldn't want to miss it, would you? I mean, that's where you get _all_ the attention, if you know what I mean." Her lips curled into a smirk.

Piper rolled her eyes. "Oh, _please_, Reyna. Everyone in _both _our camps knows that I'm not like other Aphrodite girls."

"Look what you're wearing Piper dear!" Reyna exclaimed. "It's practically screaming 'attention whore'!"

"Don't they have _strapless_ dresses where you come from, Reyna?" Piper hissed. "Well, of course not. You have to small of a brain to notice _that_."

Aurum and Argentium growled from their spots, ready to defend their master. Reyna raised her right hand. "_Not now,_" she told them in Latin, and the automatons eased, their ruby eyes still glaring at Piper.

Piper wasn't sure what Reyna had said, but she was pretty sure it meant '_we'll kill her soon'_. Her eyes glared at the girl before her, as the latter did the same.

"You're a real troublemaker, aren't you, Piper?" Reyna asked, her voice venomous. "Do you always go around, stealing people's boyfriends everyday, or is it just a holiday special, huh?"

"You're blind, Reyna!" Piper screamed. She didn't know what she was saying, but her Aphrodite senses clicked, as _everything_ cleared up for her. Why hadn't she noticed this before? "Can't you see that Jason's in love with someone else?"

"With a hag like you?" Reyna scoffed, as she laughed. If doggie automatons could laugh, then Piper was pretty sure Aurum and Argentium did.

"Yes!" she exclaimed, her voice getting stronger. "Did you ever consider _observing_ him? Searching for clues to see if he liked you?" Her eyes scanned Reyna for a while, before sighing. "I guess not. You were too blind, and you believed that Jason was in love with you. Didn't you notice the way he tried to _get rid of you_?"

Reyna gawked at her. She was too shocked at the hag's little speech. So she did the natural thing an angry girl would do. She raised her right hand, and with a swift move, a loud _SMACK_ was heard throughout the whole perimeter.

"_You!_ All you speak is _lies, lies, lies_! Have _you_ ever considered the fact that Jason loves _me_? He _kissed_ me, for Jupiter's sake! He told me that you were getting on his nerves, and you're better off dying in Tartarus, rotting to your death!" she screeched.

Piper's hands rose to her cheek, as she felt the impact burn on them. Her eyes stung with tears as she listened to Reyna's every word. But no, Piper wasn't going to back down. That was not in her nature. To do so, that would mean she didn't deserve to be called a worthy daughter of Aphrodite.

Her eyes rose back to Reyna, as she turned her heel and walked away. Glancing back at the girl, her eyes dug themselves into the opposing girl, scarring her life.

"You've won this round, _Reyna_, but you haven't heard the last of Piper McLean. No, this game has only just begun."

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><p><strong>I hate the fact that Reyna kissed Jason. I mean, don't we all? But that's how drama happens people. Of course, this wasn't Aphrodite's doing. She doesn't exactly want to break Piper's heart, does she? Well, <em>anyways<em>, I have a question for you guys. Would you prefer it if:**

**a) Only Piper gets jealous, and World War III is a Reyna/Piper conflict?**

**b) Jason gets jealous as well ;)**

**Tell me what you think. I'll update tomorrow, if I have time! My lil couz is having his 9th b'day, and so is my grandma. Except she's not turning 9. But _anyways_, THANKS FOR THE SUPPORT! Love ya!**

**xoxo,  
>Sarah (winonabcd) <strong>


	14. Chapter 12: Piper's Form of Revenge

**Heeeeey! I'm back! I woke up at 6 AM to write this wonderful chapter for you!**

**Reply to Reviews****:**

**XxForeseeingHadesFuturexX: I hope your cast gets better soon! Hahahaha the longest I could write is about 3,000 words! And thanks for reviewing _every single chapter_! You're awesome ;) VIRTUAL COOKIE! (: :)**

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**redlox2: Majority won. B will happen :( (But I'm psyched on the inside, LOL). I'm guessing you won't like this chapter a lot, hehe ;) But please don't stop reviewing. It'll only be one harmless kiss, but Piper's going to have a change of personality from here on. Bring out the female dog wars! Oh, have a VIRTUAL COOKIE while you read! (: :)**

**: I have accomplished my mission. Everyone hates Reyna. LOL, that wasn't my mission XD I hope you like this chapter! I'll give you a VIRTUAL COOKIE for being epicly awesome ;) (: :)**

**Pinky456: Hahahaha I sure am! I'll go tell them _exactly_ what you said ;) They won't be too happy though... but honestly, Aphrodite had _nothing_ to do with this. She just wanted some drama, but nothing _this_ major. Leave it to Reyna to mess things up *grumbles* *Aphrodite poofs in* (Aphrodite's saying this): Listen honey. How about I give you a VIRTUAL COOKIE to calm you down? Here! (: :) Now enjoy the drama! Hephaestus TV has _finally_ gotten better! P.S. I don't know if you'll exactly _love_ this chapter... (watch out computer! This maybe the end of your life!)**

**Lieutenant Zoe Nightshade: Hahahaha! Wanna do that together? I'll go call Piper and together we can play "KILL REYNA". I'll just go grab my machine gun. Here, enjoy this VIRTUAL COOKIE while you wait ;) (: :)**

**Liana: For your support, you get a VIRTUAL COOKIE! (: :)**

**daughterofposeidon99: Well said, my half-sister! I'm a daughter of Poseidon too! Though I imagine myself as Percy's twin... ANYWAYS Jason _is_ really blind. I'll tell him that ;) Here, have a VIRTUAL COOKIE! (: :) I hope it replaces the popcorn for this chapter!**

**The Moonlit Waters: Oh, but my dear friend. She isn't just going to spend time with _Le_o or _a_ boy. I'm already spoiling things for you. You got your spoiler. Maybe you shouldn't get a VIRTUAL COOKIE :P Hahahaha, JK Sel! here, take one (: :) ;) And I updated as soon as you reviewed... WORLD RECORD!**

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>THANK YOU SO MUCH!<br>ENJOY YOUR COOKIES WHILE READING THIS CHAPTER!**

**P.S. I would've given you real cookies, but unfortunately, Hermes won't answer my calls :(**

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><p><span>Chapter 12: Piper's Form of Revenge<span>

Lacy paced back and forth in the Aphrodite cabin. Her sister Piper had just came back from the beach party, and she did _not_ look pleased. Her kaleidoscope eyes were flashing fiercely, changing colors a thousand times faster. Hades, she thought she could see thundercloud gray dancing in those eyes of hers.

Luckily, Piper had left the building, mumbling to herself. Lacy was worried about her sanity. She's already talking to herself. What's next?

"This is getting juicy!" Courtney squealed, jumping around.

Lacy glared at her. Even though Courtney was a year older than her, she wasn't going to let her off easy. Piper was her closest sister, practically her best friend. It was all her fault she went psycho.

"You!" Lacy yelled, pointing a finger at Courtney. Immediately, her clothes changed color, mismatching the outfit. "If it wasn't for your stupid plan, Piper wouldn't have turned psycho!"

Courtney watched in horror as her clothes changed color. She didn't even pay attention to Lacy's last few words. She was too busy shrieking, hating how her colors were hideous and terrifying.

The fourteen-year-old looked up from her outfit to glare at the younger demigod. "Change it back!" she screamed. "Lift the curse, or I'll curse you back!"

Zia plopped on her bed, popcorn in hand. Even though Courtney _was_ her best friend, this little catfight made great entertainment. Hades, even the Romans, America and Elysia, found this _very_ amusing, which was quite a compliment.

"Courtney, look at Piper! She's turning psycho, because _you_ decided it would be best if we drag her attention to see Jason 'kissing' _Reyna_!" she yelled back, ignoring her order.

Courtney sighed. "Lacy, please. Jealousy is always the key. Don't you see it? Piper can win this war, trust me. She's not a daughter of Aphrodite for nothing. Besides, now _everything_ goes according to plan. Now can you _please_ change back my outfit?"

Lacy rolled her eyes, but gave in. With a flick of her hand, the curse was lifted, sending Courtney's clothes back to normal.

Drew stood up, and grabbed a camera. "Come on, gals. It's almost time to start the _Midnight Dance_."

* * *

><p>Leo found Piper walking on the beach, her eyes flashing fiercely. You could feel anger radiating from her, and you do not want to get within a mile close to her. She plopped down on the hot sand her eyes gazing out into the dark blue ocean.<p>

Leo walked over, and sat next to her. In the dark blue sky, he could see stars shining brightly as he starts to recognize a couple constellations.

"That's the Huntress," Piper blurted, pointing to the constellation he was staring at. "Annabeth said she used to be a lieutenant of Artemis. Her name was Zoë Nightshade."

Leo's eyes shifted to his friend. "Hey, are you OK? I mean, with all this drama going on . . ."

"I'm fine," Piper confirmed, though her voice was shaky. Subconsciously, she raised her hand to her cheek, where Reyna's hand had made contact with before. Just as it did before, pain submerged into that one spot, stinging her skin. She could see it, red as day, as needles pierced into her soft skin.

Leo saw it for the first time. Her right cheek was red, burning with pain. His eyes widened at the sight, and his breath grew heavy. "Piper," he breathed. "What did she do to you?"

The girl shook her head. Leo was like her brother. In reality, he might as well just be her stepbrother, seeing how Hephaestus was supposedly her stepdad. She wanted to tell Leo all about it—the whole fight, the slap, those stupid automatons. Maybe he could rewire them to malfunction and cause them to attack Reyna instead.

"Piper," his voice said, wanting to force her to spill everything. "Come on, beauty queen. You can tell me. We're best buds, right?"

Piper smiled at him, but turned her eyes back to the ocean. "We _are_, Valdez," she agreed, sighing softly. She stood up, and offered him a hand. "Come on. I have a dance to film to Olympus."

* * *

><p>All Jason wanted to do that night was dance with Piper, and <em>not<em> some ugly hag who claimed herself as his _girlfriend_. For Pluto's sake, he didn't _ask_ her out! She just came up to him, start a conversation, smack her lips on his, flirt with him, lips on his again, then flirt, lips, and finally she ran off, much to Jason's pleasure.

And where did that get him? He got Reyna as his wonderful, beautiful girlfriend. Oh, he loved her so much, he just wanted to drop her into the sea, let her drown, and watch as a million sharks rip her to death. Oh the love.

He wished Piper were in his arms right now, her melodious laugh twinkling in his ears, and not some evil cackling of a psychotic witch, who is just _begging_ to die in Tartarus. If only he could smite her to death. Yeah, that would be just _lovely_. No sarcasm intended, people.

"Isn't this nice?" Reyna asked, batting her eyelashes like she was afraid the tiniest speck of dust would enter. She wrapped her arms tighter around his neck, as she laid her forehead on his. "Just boyfriend and girlfriend having the best time of their lives?"

Her voice was seductive, as she got closer to him to kiss him on the lips. Jason inwardly groaned. That was the _seventh_ time during the dance.

She pulled back, her eyes dark with lust. _Oh no . . . _Jason groaned, as she went back for another kiss.

As much as he _didn't _want to be with her right now, he didn't have much of an option. He was stuck in her arms, as they were locked around his neck, making sure he doesn't make a run for it. Oh the joy.

Finally she pulled back again, and soon they were dancing to the beat, foreheads on each other. Jason looked anywhere else but her eyes, knowing that he would never see Piper's colorful eyes in place of those boring dark pools. At least Piper's eyes were unique. Jason was sure there wasn't anything _unique_ in Reyna.

He couldn't stand it anymore. His arms dropped from her waist, letting them dangle free. Reyna pouted in front of him, obviously asking to be back in his not-so-tight embrace.

"I'm going to get us some punch," he sighed, hoping she would buy it.

Her face lit up, temporarily blinding him. Great. Just make you boyfriend blind will ya? That'll be _so_ much better than seeing your mismatched face. "Be right back, babe," Reyna told him, before proceeding to suck his face off.

_Ninth time that night . . ._ Jason counted, rolling his eyes. He could feel her hands slowly unbuttoning his shirt, so he quickly pulled back, leaving the girl to pout. "I'll be back," he confirmed, much to his displeasure.

He walked over to the snacks table, and banged his head on a nearby tree, buttoning his shirt in the process. He heard a chuckle from behind him as he turned, only to face his older Greek cousin and her wonderful girlfriend.

"How are you doing this lovely night, mate?" the seventeen-year-old boy asked in an _awful_ Australian accent.

"Oh, just _lovely_, I'm so glad you asked," Jason replied, rolling his eyes. He turned back to bang his head on the tree bark once more, letting his forehead be filled with splinters.

Percy chuckled. "I guess sarcasm runs in the family."

"Oh jeez. You think?"

"My point exactly," the older demigod pointed out, winking at his younger cousin.

Annabeth grabbed two cups of punch off the snack table and handed one to Percy. "Why are you even dating her anyways? I've never liked the crazed witch, anyways."

"Oh, come on. She's kind cool," Percy complained. Annabeth raised an eyebrow, watching as Percy smirked. "It's awesome to douse her in water over and over and over again."

Annabeth laughed. "If only she would die drowning," she added, chuckling darkly.

"Exactly!" Jason jumped in, smacking his hand to his forehead. "I've been telling myself that all day! If only she would just willingly jump into the ocean, and let the sharks rip her apart."

Percy shook his head. "I'd rather throw her in Tartarus," he said. "And _then_ throw Nico in. She'll be forced to stare at his hideous face for the rest of eternity, huh, Nico?"

A boy submerged out of the shadows, as his image flickered to life. "Yeah, and send Hades after you. Lovely idea, Perce."

"I told you sarcasm runs in the family!"

"You've said, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth chuckled, planting a kiss on his cheek. Percy flushed red, and Nico gagged, but thought better of it.

"Annabeth, do that again," he told her, leaving the Daughter of Athena confused. "I could see it in the news! Hero of Olympus red with embarrassment! _Blackmail_!"

Jason chuckled. He heard his name being called in the distance, and he groaned. He randomly grabbed two cups of punch, before walking back to his doom.

From the distance, Leo was laughing his butt off. He had seen the whole thing—from the millionth kiss to Jason handing back the cup, 'accidentally' spilling it on Reyna's red dress.

She was shrieking, but finally calmed down. All of a sudden, they were sucking off each other's face again, and Leo just wanted to puke.

Piper let out a soft growl escape her lips, catching her friend's attention. "Stupid good for nothing Roman," she hissed to herself, as her eyes glared daggers down Reyna's back.

Jason, who had his eyes wide open, smirked as he saw Piper's deadly look. Leo, who was standing next to her, was already laughing so hard, he was afraid he might trip himself, or worse, choke to death.

Piper remembered that afternoon's experience, as she felt her cheeks stung as needles pricked on her skin once more. She wasn't going to let Reyna win. Two can play at that game. She waited until Reyna's eyes were open, and Jason had his back on her. Reyna smirked evilly when she saw her, and mouthed the word 'hag'.

She turned to Leo, grabbed his chin, and smacked her lips on his. Leo was shock, but let Piper kiss him, figuring she had everything under control.

"Leo, wrap your arms around my waist," Piper mumbled from beneath his lips, and Leo did as he was told. She could hear Reyna shrieking angrily in the distance as Piper tried to deepen the kiss, sending the Roman on a rampage. She could hear her storm away, and finally, Piper broke the kiss.

She could feel everyone's gaze on her. "Hey Leo?" she whispered, aware of Jason's deadly glare on Leo.

Leo smirked, knowing Piper's plan. "Time to bring out the Bad Girl card."

* * *

><p><strong>Please don't kill me! I have to live for my grandma, cousin, <em>best friend<em>, and Dad's friend today! It's their b'days! Plus, I woke up at 6 AM to write this for you guys... right? Love you!**

**xoxo,  
>Sarah (winonabcd)<strong>

**P.S. Which of these boys should Piper use to bring out her 'Bad Girl' card?**

**a) Will Solace**

**b) Jake Mason**

**c) Connor Stoll**

**Choose one of the following! Those who chose the winning team will get a VIRTUAL COOKIE _and _dedication in the next chapter! **


	15. Chapter 13: Boyfriend no 1

**Two updates in one day! Yay! Here you go, the next chapter ;)**

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**redlox2: I don't like Leo/Piper. It's just really weird. Oh, and this chapter is dedicated to you too! Have another VIRTUAL COOKIE and enjoy! (: :)**

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**valerie325: I'm not so good at portraying Connor, but I'll try. Connor won, so here's a VIRTUAL COOKIE! (: :)**

**Mythologyrocks3: I put a little bit of Travis in it. I'll try to put more Stoll in the next chapter :) Here's a VIRTUAL COOKIE for choosing Connor :D (: :)**

**CimFan: Oh trust me, she's gonna use Leo, don't worry ;) Thanks for reviewing!**

**Me: Really? All I've ever read is 'Zeus knows what'. Somehow that sounds right in my ears...**

**Not Important: Is this your first review? Then have a VIRTUAL COOKIE! (: :) And I agree! I think Connor is _hoooooooooooooot_ *squealing inside* Will is OK, though :P Oh, and have _another_ VIRTUAL COOKIE, since you chose Connor! (: :)**

**demigodmegan: Sorry, but Connor won this poll :)**

**ForeverTheCritic: I'm not sure about Will, but you're right about Connor! XD He's _mineeeeeeee_! Too bad he won the poll... oh well :P Oh, and the reason Reyna shrieked the first time because Jason 'accidentally' spilled punch on her red dress. The second reason was because Reyna doesn't want Piper to be liked by _any_ boy. :)**

**The Moonlit Waters: Thanks! Oh, and don't worry. She'll use Leo later on ;) Just be patient, young grasshopper :P**

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**xXxDaughteroftheKingxXx: Thanks! And yeah, I can't really imagine Connor with Piper. But since he won the poll (much to my displeasure :P) I have to imagine him with her... oh well. Thanks for reading!**

**THANKS FOR READING!**

* * *

><p><em><strong>This chapter is dedicated to <strong>_**Not Important**_**, **_**valerie325, Hungergames3, redlox2 _and_ bookluver07 :D  
><em>As much as I hate to say it, here's Connor Stoll, Boyfriend #1<br>(he's mine people! ;) )_**

* * *

><p><strong><strong>Chapter 13: Boyfriend #1

It was yet _another_ wintery morning. More snow had covered the thick grounds of Camp Half-Blood, sending everyone into a holiday vibe. You could see little kids wearing green and red winter coats, winter hands, gloves—you name it.

Piper woke up, feeling a little funny after that kiss with Leo. It felt so wrong to do that, but it felt so _good_ to know that she had done a little revenge. That'll teach the little . . . female dog to back off from her boyfriend.

She got up, wondering what kind of clothes Bad Girl Piper would wear. She grabbed her camp T-shirt, some short purple jeans and yellow stockings. Perfect.

She raced inside the bathroom, quickly showering before slipping herself into her outfit. Pleased with her look, she stepped out of the bathroom, leaving everyone to stare at her.

One thing Piper hated more than anything else: showing off her legs. She found it weird and uncomfortable, but desperate times came to desperate measures. And this was definitely it.

She casually walked over to Drew, as every one of her Greek half-siblings stare at her as she passed their bunks.

"Drew, do you have some colorful bangles you could lend me?" she asked, using her innocent voice. It was _almost_ like charmspeaking, but technically _wasn't_.

Drew raised an eyebrow at her, not knowing this side of Piper. She cautiously reached into her jewelry box and grabbed a handful of bangles, which Piper gladly snatched and placed it on her right hand.

Piper made her way to her bed and tied the charm/key around her neck. She clipped on some earrings (she haven't pierced her ears), before grabbing a baby blue coat and running out the door in her baby blue Converse sneakers.

"Well, that was awkward," Mitchell said, trying to break the tension.

His half-brothers nodded in agreement. Drew rolled her eyes, before taking her hair out of those curlers of hers. "Who cares? Let the girl do her own revenge. Right now, we gotta do _our_ revenge."

Ryan raised an eyebrow. "Which is?"

Courtney jumped up, and grabbed Kylie by the hair. "Note this down, girly. 'Cause Aphrodite _and_ Venus is gonna rock this camp!"

She made her way to Bunker 9, ignoring the stares all the boys were giving her. Half of them were drooling. The other half was just awestruck. A couple of the managed to stay sane, and was now confused of the new Piper.

Piper shook her head. Not the new Piper. The _Bad Girl_ Piper. She giggled a little, liking where her plan was going. She can't get the attention of just _any_ boy? We'll see about that, Reyna.

"Morning Valdez," she greeted, walking inside. She yawned hugely, helping herself to a cup of hot chocolate on her friend's computer table. A list of orders were flashing on the screen, giving Leo a hard time to keep track of them.

"Morning McLean," Leo greeted, before wiping his hands on his army jacket. He turned around, and suddenly, shock covered his face.

"Too much change?" Piper giggled, and Leo nodded. "Oh well. What's done is done. We can't change it."

Leo just stared at her. "Piper . . . what's up with the yellow stockings?"

She shrugged. "I saw Lacy reading a magazine with an outfit that looked pretty much like this one. I decided to give it a shot," she shrugged. "If only it wasn't winter, then I could've done without the stockings."

"Too much color," Leo agreed, wondering what fashion might be in girl's language. Give him a T-shirt and pants and his army jacket and he was good to go.

Piper sat on the chair and read the orders one by one. "Hey Leo," she said, catching the boy's attention once more. "Who's our first target?"

"You're the Daughter of Aphrodite," Leo mumbled. "You should know."

He had a point. Piper read the list of orders over and over again, until she came upon a name. She smirked, knowing she has her first victim. "Hey, Valdez, who's the most wanted boy in camp at the moment?"

Leo rubbed his chin. "That would be Connor Stoll," he answered. Right now, every girl has fallen in love with him, wanting to be his girlfriend. He didn't get _what_ they saw in the guy, but according to the rumors, he had grown 'as hot as Apollo's sun chariot'. He figured that must be . . . pretty hot.

Piper smiled, and Leo understood. He chuckled, before showing her a defense system he had set-up. "Well then, Pipes," he said, placing the system in a box. "Let's go get your first 'boyfriend'."

The Daughter of Aphrodite laughed, before heading out with her stepbrother. She let Leo carry the box—it was far too heavy for her anyways. Why did the Stolls need a defense system anyways? Their cabin's inhabitants were the pranksters. They don't need defending anytime soon.

She walked in the deep snow, as more and more boys whistled as she got closer to Cabin 11. Leo started laughing from next to her, almost dropping the box. She rolled her eyes, but smiled to herself. The plan was in motion.

Finally, the cabin came into view. The two knocked on the door. "Hephaestus's WM&YO Delivery Service! Package for the Stoll Brothers!" Leo yelled, banging on the door.

The door creaked open, to reveal two smirking Sons of Hermes. Their smirks dropped when they saw Piper, as they turned into awestruck faces.

"P-Piper! It's a surprise to see you!" Travis stuttered, not able to take his eyes off the fifteen-year-old girl.

Piper shook her head. "Travis," she warned. "You don't want Katie to kill you, do you? She's a _really_ nice girlfriend, don't you think?"

Travis's mind snapped open, as he spluttered out a bunch of curses out of his mouth. "Please don't tell Katie!" he pleaded, and Piper laughed, nodding at him.

Connor was still in trance. "Wow . . ." he breathed.

Leo smirked, and looked at the girl standing beside him. "May I?"

"Of course," Piper confirmed.

Leo handed the box to the older Stoll, who took it inside with him. He smirked. Oh, he was going to _love_ the next action. It paid after the numerous pranks the guy set up on him. He raised his hand in the air, and let it fly in the air. The sound echoed for miles, as Connor cried out in pain.

"OW!" he screeched, his eyes growing wide. "Dude! What was that for?" He rubbed his left cheek, which was stained in red. Leo's handprints were clearly visible on the prankster's light skin, making it look painful.

The said boy only grinned. There was a _lot_ of slapping nowadays. "You were staring at your future girlfriend," he said.

Connor frowned. "Wait, _what_?"

"Yo Leo! Help us out, will ya?" Travis's voice called out from inside, and Leo hurried to assist the prince in distress.

"Connor, listen," Piper said, snapping the latter's attention back on her. "I need a favor. You know the whole story with the whole—"

"Yeah, I know. Continue." Piper raised an eyebrow, but she chose not to comment on it.

"Well, I need your help to get revenge on Reyna. I'm gonna need you to be my boyfriend. For a day or two, at the very least," Piper said, and quickly told him her plan. It wasn't much, but it _did_ show Reyna she was better than she thought she was.

Connor grinned. "Ingenious plan, Piper dear," he said, winking at her. Piper rolled her eyes. "I'll do it—on one condition."

"Name it," she quickly said, not thinking twice about the consequences.

"I get to prank your cabin—including yourself—_and _get to humiliate _my_ brother on that show of yours." Piper laughed. Revenge was already twinkling in his eyes.

"Fair enough," she agreed. She didn't mind getting pranked, as scary as it sounded. But since her favor was pretty big, it only made sense if he asked for something huge,

Connor grinned. "So where should our first date be, my dear 'girlfriend'?" He grabbed her hands into his, intertwining their fingers.

Piper shrugged, and put on her dreamy expression. "Anywhere, my love," she said, and winked at him.

She quickly pecked him on the lips, before rushing off to go back to her cabin. Man did it feel weird kissing a _lot_ of boys in such a short time span.

Lacy watched quietly from her spot behind the boulders. Her feet dug themselves in the hot sand, as her blue eyes scanned the area for any signs of Jasper, Piper, or Jason/Reyna.

_Great idea, Lacy! Go and offer to be Cabin 10's spy on Mission Jasper!_ she silently scolded herself, as she continued to watch the whole area.

Her eyes fixed itself on that one spot in the sand, knowing that Jason/Reyna would pop out there any second now. And turns out she was right.

A few seconds later, the worst couple ever popped up on the beach, hand in hand. Reyna had her head rested on his shoulder, while Jason looked _very_ uncomfortable.

The girl pulled the boy down on the sand, both of them lying down on the soft sand. Reyna pointed to the clouds floating in the sky, telling Jason how it reminded him of him.

Lacy scoffed. To her, that cloud pretty much looked like a pig. If she was telling Jason that he was an animal on the farm, she must be _very _romantic. Hades, she must have the intelligence of an owl, if she wanted to get rid of her first boyfriend fast. Yeah, real smart.

Oh, and the fact that they looked so cute together, Lacy wanted to die. The fact that they _did_ look terrible together, Lacy _still_ wanted to die. Cute or not, there's no point in living if they were a couple. No freaking way.

Suddenly, laughter filled her ears. She snapped her head to her left, a little further away from the 'adorable couple'. Her eyes widened as she saw her sister with Connor Stoll, the guy of every girl's dreams that month, hand in hand, strolling on the beach.

Connor must've stolen something from Piper's pockets, because he ran away from her, running into the water.

Piper patted the pockets of her shorts, her eyes widening in realization. "Connor, give it back!" she wailed, giving him her puppy-dog face.

Connor smirked, before shaking his head. "You're going to have to do better than that, babe!"

Lacy heard Jason growl, while Reyna looked plain murderous and plain jealous. Lacy giggled. She remembered how Drew used to act around Piper—almost the exact same way Reyna did. But Reyna was just a million times worse.

Piper laughed before ripping off her yellow stockings, and wading into the sea. She tried to reach up to grab whatever was in Connor's hands, but they were too high up for her liking.

She squealed, as she tripped, landing on top of the Son of Hermes. Lacy watched as her sister's face morphed into a dreamy expression, as the distance between Connor and her closed in. In less than a minute, their lips locked, as they started to kiss passionately.

"That's it!" Jason yelled, as he got up and walked away, leaving Reyna growling at Piper. She got up and ran after her boyfriend, yelling at him to come back.

Lacy took one last look at the new It Couple, before running off to report to her sisters. Her legs dragged her back to Mission Headquarters. _Not good, not good . . ._ she silently thought. She shut her eyes close before running off into the snowy area once more.

Piper pulled away, her hair soaked through. Connor wasn't looking much better. Instead, he was completely wet. Well, that's what lying in the ocean does to you.

Piper rolled off him, picking herself up. "Come on, Connor," she said, offering him a hand.

He gladly took it, giving back her roll of mortal cash. "Do you think they bought it?"

"Definitely. Considering Jason's yell and all," she winked, grabbing his hand into hers.

"Oh, and did I mention you're an _excellent_ kisser," Connor complimented, waggling his eyebrows.

Piper glared at him. "No ideas Stoll."

Connor laughed. "I thought you'd say that. Hey, I'm gonna go prank your cabin now. Have fun with revenge!" He waved, before running off into the snow.

Suddenly, out of the shadows, Leo emerged, a huge grin on his face. "Well, Sparky is really jealous right now," he said.

Piper walked over to him. "Let's just hope Connor's OK," she added.

"He'll be fine," Leo ensured, as the two walked off towards the forest. "Hey, how 'bout you and me, Bunker 9's game room in ten minutes?"

Piper grinned. "As long as Sparky doesn't show up, I'm fine. I'll go get changed." She gave Leo a quick high five, before running back towards Cabin 10. Oh, does she love the word _revenge_.

* * *

><p><strong>Alright! I hope you liked it! It was kinda hard to write, I don't know why... I hope you liked it! Review!<strong>

**xoxo,  
>Sarah (winonabcd)<strong>

**P.S. How long should Piper date Connor?**

**a) Only in this chapter.**

**b) Next chapter too. (This means more Stoll appearances)**

**c) The next two chapters (MORE STOLL!)**

**Please vote! Thanks guys! More VIRTUAL COOKIES coming at you! **


	16. Chapter 14: Better Than Revenge

**I'm back! I have so many reviews! Thank you! I finally reached 200, which was my next goal ;) New goal: 300. Let's make it happen people!**

**P.S. I'm glad you're enjoying this story as much as I did!**

**Reply to Reviews:**

**Pinky456: Yep, attention whore. Btw, is that even a bad word? LOL, I say it anyways. And be patient for the slap, my dear friend. It's coming... soon. And yes, Jason's going to have a fight with Connor. I'm thinking about some punching. A little too much? Anyways, take this VIRTUAL COOKIE (: :) since you voted for option c and all ;)**

**Hungergames3: This chapter doesn't have Jason jealous, but trust me, there's _more_ coming at you in the future chapters XD**

**CimFan: You speak Hebrew? That's so cool! I don't speak _any_ Hebrew. Well, I use to know how to say the days in Hebrew. I only remember Shabat now, hehe. Is that even correct? And for picking the winning team, enjoy this VIRTUAL COOKIE! (: :)**

**The Moonlit Waters: I also thought one more chapter would be OK. But the readers want it to be for another two whole chapters. *sigh* I have to let Connor do this... it's not fair... :P**

**bookluver07: WHOA. I want some! WEll, the glazed carrots and mushroom soup anyways. I'm vegetarian, but not since birth. Only since August, so yeah... :P**

**Aeron Thana: Oh, trust me. I'm using Will Solace. So many request for that ;) Here's a VIRTUAL COOKIE for choosing option c! (: :)**

**redlox2: Yep, it was the latter. It's pretty hard writing this whole Piper/Connor relationship, since he's my boyfriend (yeah, in my dreams, but no pressure, eh?) :P I thought, 'Oh well! Give it another chapter or so!' But then the majority say Option C, so now I have to let my boyfriend date another girl for another two chapters... so sad... *sniffle* LOL ;P**

**Mythologyrocks3: Awww poor you. Your virtual bunny isn't there atm, right? Then here's another VIRTUAL COOKIE! (: :) Enjoy! And thanks for the M&Ms!**

**avrilkitties: Thanks! This is your first review, right? Here's a VIRTUAL COOKIE! (: :)**

**Liana: Majority said C :( And my next update will be today ;) My _next _update would be on Wednesday... hopefully :P**

**starlighter: First review, first VIRTUAL COOKIE (: :) And you read my mind! I was going to put this chapter in the next two chapters, but this morning I was like, 'So what?' So I decided to put it in today! And then I read your review, and I was like 'Whooooooaaaaaa!' Hahahaha ;) Smart cookie, aren't you?**

**EvilAndI'mProudOfIt: Aaaawww I missed you Jess! Sorry I didn't update the other one in like, forever. Minor writer's block for that one, but I'm sure ideas will come around ;) And I love those short convos. Funny how I'm featured in it. You've just found Connor's girlfriend ;) It feels weird letting him date Piper... *Connor appears* (Connor's saying this) No chizz, Sherlock. (Me) *rolls eyes* :) Thanks for reviewing! OH OH! And keep reviewing like that! I LOVE it! (Connor) 'Course you do *rolls eyes* (Me) *Slaps his shoulder* Oh shut up. Oh, and keep slapping Reyna XD**

**TwinkleLights123: Have I seen you somewhere? Probably in one of Animal Charmer 11's stories. Or dnapolymerase314. Dang, that's such a hard name to spell! Anyways, since this is your first review, here's a VIRTUAL COOKIE :) (: :) And don't worry. Piper would be dating two guys (Connor and Will Solace), but the whole camp will figure out her intentions (minus Reyna, she's a dope), so it won't give her a bad title ;)**

**XxForeseeingHadesFuturexX: Tell Stygian he's already taken! By _moi_! Muahahahahahaha! LOL And for voting for Option C, you get a VIRTUAL COOKIE! (: :) Wow, there's a lot of people getting these today, phew!**

**lala45768: I would say that as well. Well, maybe two chapters, that's pretty harmless. But majority spoke, and c it is... it feels weird letting him do this... (He's my boyfriend ;) LOL. We can all dream, can we?)**

**: VIRTUAL COOKIE time! (: :) Thanks for voting on the winning team ;) My fingers getting tired of typing for two whole hours... it's almost been three... but oh well. THIS IS FOR YOU! AND EVERYONE ELSE! LOL**

**daughterofposeidon99: I like that too. I'm announcing this to everybody... CONNOR'S MINE! LOL, he's my boyfriend, though I've mentioned to every other person. I think. More or less, LOL. I was leaning towards on more chapter too. No harm done, right? But majority spoke, and so two chapters it is... :/ *sigh* I hope I can find a way for that ;)**

**valerie325: *drum roll* CONGRATULATIONS! You picked the winning team! No, you don't get a trillion amount of cash, but you do get a VIRTUAL COOKIE! How great is that? (: :) Enjoy! Spend wisely!**

**angwyn: It's fine ;) Too late. She's paired up with him, Ang. Majority won ;) And yes, it was my cousin. It was epic, but _super_ hot. There goes my mom with saving energy... And no, I don't live in the US, but I _am_ going on vacation there this December! Woohoo! Too bad I'm not an official author, otherwise, I could announce a meet-and-greet, LOL**

**omgitsablueberrymuffin: I LOVE Connor too— *Connor appears* (Connor) Because I'm practically yours ;) *smirks* (Me) yeah... ANYWAYS, I don't want to go overboard too. Two chapters is enough, I think. (Connor) This is the first time I've heard a girlfriend willing to cooperate with a request like this :P (Me) Whatever. What did I want to say? Oh yeah. But the majority wins. I'm gonna have to let Connor be Piper's boyfriend for another two chapters, which means three whole chapters of Piper/Connor (Connor) Oh the joy *rolls eyes* (Me) I'll tell Piper you said that. (Connor) Hey! Sarah, don't tell her that! :P (Me: I love stuff like these ;) )**

**xXxDaughteroftheKingxXx: Yep, he's _jealous_. _I'm_ jealous. A jealous girlfriend that is. *Connor appears* (Connor) I didn't know that ._. (Me) Honey, you're mine. How can I not be jealous? X_X (Connor) Riiiiiight. (Me) I wanted to do it for only two chapters, but apparently, the readers like this whole Stoll thing going on— (Connor) Of course they do ;) (Me) —so they want another two chapters... Oh well. Watch out for the next update! P.S. Does your pen name mean you're a daughter of Zeus? That means you're my cousin ;) I'm a daughter of Poseidon, Percy's twin :P**

**azngirl714: Your first review? First VIRTUAL COOKIE (: :) You picked the winning team ;) Second VIRTUAL COOKIE (: :) Please keep reading! Thank you!**

**sushiroxsBD: Is this your first review? (: :) - VIRTUAL COOKIE. And since you picked the winning team... here's another one! (: :)**

**LovesToReadOnline: And for Option C... VIRTUAL COOKIE! (: :) Enjoy this chapter while eating it ;) And as for the show thing... next chapter, I _promise_.**

**Me: There is a guy, but idk if he's still reading it. He's my fanfiction friend, roach26. Come to think of it, I wonder where he is... hm... Oh, almost forgot. VIRTUAL COOKIE! (: :) (For picking Option C)**

**ur awesome: LOL, that's funny. I've been going around school today, telling all my friends I'm awesome (I think they're, uh, p***ed cuz I kept saying that), and then you came along saying I'm awesome! At least somebody agrees! Oh, and let's not forget your two VIRTUAL COOKIES! (: :) (: :) Thanks for reviewing and voting!**

* * *

><p><strong>As much as I hate to announce, Option C (another two chapters) won with a total of 13 votes.<br>Now I gotta let my boyfriend date another girl.  
><em>Not<em> fun. :P**

**P.S. I think I've mentioned this already, but did you know Connor's mine? ;)**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 14: Better than Revenge<span>

Piper burst into her cabin. It was tiring, being totally off character. Connor was nice, but he just wasn't her type. She wasn't surprised when girls came up to her, asking her what it was like being the girlfriend of 'the hottie'. It just seemed . . . normal.

Her siblings were there, the Greek ones, sitting on the floor, blue notebook in hand. She raised an eyebrow quizzically at them, her now blue eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"We're planning our next guest star," Lacy answered. "With the help of the Romans, we can humiliate the enemy LIVE on OLYMPUS."

Piper didn't need to guess who the enemy was. She wasn't shocked that her siblings were plotting their revenge, too. No, she was shocked that her _Roman_ siblings were helping her out, a _Greek_. Plus, they'll be going against an ally, one of their kind. It was just wrong.

"We talked to It," Ryan ensured her, smiling evilly when he called Reyna 'it'. "And she agreed. The trap is underway."

Piper laughed. "I like the sound of that," she winked, grabbing a fresh white T-shirt and some short shorts. She only wore those around when she was in her cabin. It's a sad thing that she has to wear those outside, too.

"Hey, Piper," Drew said slowly, as evil plans forged in her head. As much as Piper was a Dumpster Girl (or so she _was_), Drew had to admit that her sister did look good. An evil twist wouldn't hurt. "What if we had the _whole_ camp go against It? I mean, that would give you the reputation of the 'Bad Girl', a reputation It wanted before _you_ did."

Piper thought about this. It seemed a little tempting. She didn't want to go _too_ far—that'd just give her a bad name. Connor would be enough—right? Or should she switch boys, just this once?

"You should date at least two more boys," Stephanie jumped in, as if she were reading her mind. "Now, I'm not saying Connor is _bad_." Her face got a little dreamy, and so did every other girl's in the room. Except for Drew and Tess, that is.

Mitchell rolled his eyes, though as a son of Aphrodite, he did find it a little . . . cute. Nothing awkward. It was natural for him. His mom's field _is_ love. And beauty, but he doesn't think about that too much. At least he tries.

"But Connor is just not enough," he continued for his sister, who still had that dreamy expression. "Three would be just too many. It'll give you a bad reputation."

"A big fight would do the trick," Jessica agreed. "Something that would be _huge_, huge enough to be on _The Talk of Today_. That is what our show is for, right?"

Everyone nodded in agreement, even though that wasn't their pure intention.

Piper tried to analyze this. She was so clueless about love, even though she was a daughter of Aphrodite. It didn't mean she was clueless _all_ the time. No, somehow, she was clueless when times like these appear out of the blue.

"We could invite Connor to the talk show to talk about it," Marina added, liking where this was going. She sighed. _Connor was just so dreamy . . ._

Kylie rolled her eyes. "Personally, I think Will Solace is a thousand times hotter," she protested, as she squealed as she dreams about him.

"No way!" Leah screamed. "Connor's way hot! Have you seen his _abs_?"

Piper rolled her eyes, along with the rest of her brothers. Drew laughed at this fight, recalling the last time they had a fight like this. If she was right, there had been _ten_ boys involved . . .

"Guys!" the counselor snapped, getting the girls' attention. "Back to _The Talk of Today_?"

Suddenly, Zia snapped her fingers. Everyone's heads snapped in her direction, puzzling looks on their faces. The Daughter of Aphrodite strummed the guitar in her hands, her eyes fixed on the Daughter of Tristan McLean. Her smile turned devious, as she strummed her guitar louder and louder.

The title of the song was on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't quite figure it out. Piper watched as her sister stood up and handed her guitar to her. Piper took it, as her fingers curled around the neck.

"Well, Piper," Zia smirked, her eyes twinkling. Piper knew what she was going to say next wasn't going to be good. It could mean the end of _Connor + Piper_, which was _way_ off her agenda. Not when it made both Reyna _and _Jason jealous.

"It's time to bring out your inner stardom, if you know what I mean."

* * *

><p>Reyna walked down the cabin area, her head focused on the road ahead. The Apollo cabin had called a <em>very<em> special performance that morning, just before breakfast. They said it was something that might 'blow their minds away', whatever that meant.

The Roman kept walking, her automatons keeping up with their master. She tugged on her winter coat a little more, wishing they could've made it nice and sunny for just one day.

Somehow, her mind drifted off to Piper, thinking about how persistent she was in keeping _her_ boyfriend. She wasn't going to let her take him that easily. Besides, her plan was the oldest trick in the book. Sure, it _did_ tick her off, but as a daughter of Aphrodite, she was going to have to do better than that.

Her feet quickened itself as she got nearer to the amphitheater. She didn't even know why the Greeks had time for singing and such. Didn't they care about their training?

"Sorry, Rey," Hazel greeted at the front. "I'm gonna ask you to leave Aurum and Argentium out here."

The two automatons cocked their head at their master, asking for her command. Reyna knew better than to argue with her friend. She sighed and defeat, and waved her guard dogs off. She watched as the two gold and silver canine trotted off into the heavy snow, heading back to her cabin.

"You better not make me regret my decision, Levesque," she warned her friend.

Hazel laughed, as she pulled her curly brown hair into a ponytail. Her golden eyes sparkled with excitement, and Reyna could see that this next event would be _totally_ worth it. At least, for Hazel it was.

A cheer erupted from the crowd inside. The two Romans shared a knowing smile. "Time to go," Hazel announced, leading the way inside the huge stadium.

Reyna followed her friend inside, as the two Romans made their way to the front row, right in front of the stage. Hazel did her best trying not to laugh. Her friend was _so_ going to be in a shock later on.

_Even though she's my friend, she sort of deserves this,_ Hazel silently thought, feeling a tad guilty inside. She shook her head, as her attention snapped focus on the stage that was appearing in front of them.

Reyna frowned. What could be this big that they needed a huge stage? Her brows furrowed. Her stomach had this tugging feeling, telling her to leave and ignore the show that was about to happen. But something made her stay. She wished her guard dogs were here—they would attack whatever bad was going to happen.

Suddenly, music came on. The sounds of electric guitars burst into the chilly air, sending the audiences into a roar of applause. Drums banged, making everyone's heart jump with excitement. Reyna felt her heart thumping faster, getting ready to see what attacked them.

An evil-sort-of laugh came on, as her eyes widened with realization. _Turn back!_ She told herself, but her feet wouldn't budge. She was stuck in the crowd—with no way out.

_Now go stand in the corner  
><em>_And think about what you did_

More music erupted as Reyna's heart sunk deeper. Gods, what had she gotten herself into?

_Ha, time for a little revenge_

The stage curtains burst open, to reveal Piper, in a white shoulder shirt and ripped up blue jeans. On her feet were a pair of black cowboy boots, as her eyes switched to deep brown, glaring at the Roman. Reyna could feel her heart beating faster, in fear this time.

Revenge. This is what it was.

_The story starts when it was hot and it was summer  
><em>_And I had it all, I had him right there where I wanted him  
><em>_She came along, got him alone, and let's hear the applause  
><em>_She took him faster than you could say sabotage  
><em>_I never saw it coming, wouldn't have suspected it  
><em>_I underestimated just who I was dealing with  
><em>_She had to know the pain was beating on me like a drum  
><em>_She underestimated just who she was stealing from_

Piper's face turned into a smirk, as she ripped off the mic from the stand. Her eyes were pure evil as she continued to glare at the Roman who stole her love away.

Reyna watched as Piper edged closer towards the front of the stage—closer to where she was. Only then did she realize something she never did—cameras, rolling LIVE to Olympus.

_She's not a saint, and she's not what you think  
><em>_She's an actress, whoa_

At this, Piper started high-fiving the people who were agreeing with her. Her colorful eyes never left the Roman's eyes. She could see her heart beating faster and faster, as every molecule in her body told her to run. Too bad she was surrounded.

_She's better known for the things that she does  
><em>_On the mattress, whoa_

_Soon she's gonna find stealing other people's toys  
><em>_On the playground won't make you many friends  
><em>_She should keep in mind  
><em>_She should keep in mind  
><em>_There is nothing I do better than revenge_

The crowd's energy grew faster and faster, while her heart thumped faster and faster. She needed to get out—fast. She had to find an exit, but everywhere she looked, all her eyes met was a son/daughter of Aphrodite. She gulped, as she focused her eyes back on the show.

_She lives her life like it's a party and she's on the list  
><em>_She looks at me like she's a trend and she's so over it  
><em>_I think her ever present frown is a little troubling  
><em>_She thinks I'm psycho 'cause I like to rhyme her names with things_

_But sophistication isn't what you wear or who you know  
><em>_Or pushing people down to get you where you wanna go  
><em>_Oh, they didn't teach you that in prep school, so it's up to me  
><em>_But no amount of vintage dresses gives you dignity_

_She's not a saint, and she's not what you think  
><em>_She's an actress, whoa  
><em>_She's better known for the things that she does  
><em>_On the mattress, whoa_

_Soon she's gonna find stealing other people's toys  
><em>_On the playground won't make you many friends  
><em>_She should keep in mind  
><em>_She should keep in mind  
><em>_There is nothing I do better than revenge_

_I'm just another thing for you to roll your eyes at, honey_

Piper cheekily rolled her eyes, smirking all the while. This was _fun_.

_You might have him, but haven't you heard?  
><em>_I'm just another thing for you to roll your eyes at, honey  
><em>_You might have him, but I always get the last word_

Her voice grew stronger, as the crowd burst into a round of applause. She smiled sweetly, but her eyes fixed themselves on the Roman, cold as stone. As she sang the next bit, she inched closer, slowly getting off the stage.

Reyna gulped. This was _not_ going to be pretty.

_She's not a saint, and she's not what you think  
><em>_She's an actress, whoa  
><em>_She's better known for the things that she does  
><em>_On the mattress, whoa_

_Soon she's gonna find stealing other people's toys  
><em>_On the playground won't make you many friends  
><em>_She should keep in mind  
><em>_She should keep in mind  
><em>_There is nothing I do better than revenge_

Now she was face to face with her. Piper circled her, her sisters Lacy, Marina and Kylie backing her up. The four of them circled It, making her heart beat faster.

_Do you still feel like you know what you're doing?  
><em>'_Cause I don't think you do, oh  
><em>_Do you still feel like you know what you're doing?  
><em>_I don't think you do, I don't think you do  
><em>_Let's hear the applause_

Piper raised her arms up, and _everyone_ in the stadium cheered, their hands clapping louder and louder.

Kylie and Marina got ready to sing back up, their microphones attached to their ears.

_Come on show me how much better you are  
><em>_(So much better, yeah)  
><em>_See you deserve some applause  
><em>'_Cause you're so much better, yeah  
><em>_She took him faster than you could say sabotage_

The crowd burst into cheers, as Piper formed a triumphant smirk on her lips. Leo and Jason, who were standing at the far end of the stage, roared with laughter, watching as Reyna's face turned into horror and embarrassment.

Hazel tried to contain her laughter, as she switched a knowing glance with Frank Zhang in the far distance.

Connor met Piper's eyes, and knew what he had to do. Knowing some girls were watching him, he acted jealous, as he stormed out of the amphitheater. Once out, he grinned to himself. His work here is done—for now.

"You!" Reyna screamed at Piper, ignoring the cameras around her. "How dare you? Humiliating me in front of . . . in front of . . . in front of that!" Her finger pointed itself at the cameras, which was still filming this little fight.

Piper just shook her head. "Reyna, Reyna, Reyna," she said, as if It had the IQ of a shrimp. Then again, she probably had. "Didn't you hear me? I _always_ get the last word. _Always_."

The Daughter of Aphrodite made her way out of the amphitheater, leaving the crowd cheering and roaring behind her.

Reyna fumed. There must be a way to defeat the mastermind. There _has_ to be. She smiled evilly to herself. _Game on, McLean_, she told herself mentally. Now it was _her_ turn.

* * *

><p><strong>Like it? Love it? Hate it? Tell me, please! If you liked that little performance, try reading Sing It by panalova. Waaaay more drama. Or if you've read that, then read Sing It One More Time! also by panalova. If you'vere reading them, then you've got good taste ;) His/Her (I'm pretty sure it's a her) story is more or less like this chapter, and I can ensure you it's a _lot_ of fun to read ;)**

**xoxo,  
>Sarah (winonabcd) <strong>


	17. Chapter 15: Calling

**OK, first up, crappy chapter name. Bleh. But I couldn't think of one, so yeah. Now lemme reply your reviews ;)**

**Reply to Reviews:**

**redlox2: NO CHIZZ SHERLOCK! Hahahahaha XD I'm not even sure how far this story's gonna go. I'm just going with the flow, you know? LOL Oh, and mini spoiler: JASON AND CONNOR ARE FIGHTING IN THE NEXT CHAPTER! EEEK!**

**CimFan: I thought Piper was OOC as well. But she's playing a character completely the opposite of her—she's struggling trying to keep up with Bad Girl Piper. You'll see later on ;) And thanks for that small lesson! Though Hebrew seems pretty hard :/**

**daughterofposeidon99: Sureeeee ;) Here you go, another VIRTUAL COOKIE XD (: :) I'll make sure Nico doesn't eat it ;) *Nico appears* (Nico) Oh, hey! A cookie! *reaches out to grab it* (Me) *smacks his arm away* Nico, that's for your future girlfriend. (Nico) Wait. My future what now? (Me) Fall in love with her soon, kiddo ;) (Nico's my best cousin :P)**

**starlighter: Thanks! One of my faves too. I _love love love_ Taylor Swift. Anyways, that was so funny! I was going to reply your other review, when suddenly my email told me that _you_ reviewed again! LOL. Sorry for not updating yesterday. I had a pile of homework to do. But good news: This week, I have a _loooooong_ weekend! Expect millions of updates then XD**

**The Moonlit Waters: LOL, I know right? But I'm slowly driving it back. I just wanted to show a little game Piper in it :P**

**Mythologyrocks3: OOOOH! FOOD FIGHT! I've never been in one, though. Though I want to, hehehehehe *evil smirk* :DDD**

**Aeron Thana: Aren't all boys clueless? And yes, Jason and Reyna _sucks_. I don't know why people like it though. If Riordan turns Heroes of Olympus into a Jason/Reyna fest (they don't deserve a nickname), I'll start ripping the series to shreds. OK, maybe not. I treasure my PJO books :P**

**EvilAndI'mProudOfIt: LOL. Since you didn't call Argentium (the silver one), I call it! XD Hmmm... I wonder what would happen if we melt it to bits... do you think the metal's gonna worth a fortune? We can say it was from a Roman, who still exist! It's not a lie, not the entire truth as well ;)**

**lala45768: Thanks! I'm glad you liked it. Keep reviewing, please :) It motivates me ;)**

**FalafalafaPancakes: I like the way you think! Evil, genius... LOVE IT! I might use it, if I can figure out a plan that might backfire... Oh, and take a VIRTUAL COOKIE (: :) I believe this is your first review, no? :)**

**Victorious Penguins: Hahaha XP You can have him. He's really funny. I still remember that one time in the book where they mentioned Snow White. LOL. Anyways, I'm not sure if Leo's going to date anybody. This is a Jasper story, so I'm not so sure :P**

**arabellaheart15: First review? Have a VIRTUAL COOKIE (: :) :) And thanks so much. Every single review counts for me :)**

**xXxDaughteroftheKingxXx: I love the name :) It's really sweet. I'm a Christian too, but I give myself godly parents just for fun. Once a PJO fan, always a PJO fan ;) I'm an Adventist, what about you? Yeah, I get it. And sorry it was kind of disappointment, but it helps improve my writing. You have to have negative reviews (I wouldn't count yours as negative, but you know what I mean) once in a while. That's what helps us advance in our writing skills. And as a writer, believe me. I've gotten flames before, from _my ex-best friend_. Oh well. Screw her XP**

**omgitsablueberrymuffin: OMG, I'm so sorry for your dad. I'm so sorry about the whole friend-dump thing as well. I've never been friend-dumped, but friends have been leaving my life more than once. I move school every two years, so I had to leave friends behind from time to time. Luckily, this year I didn't move. I'm glad I'm staying in this school for three years... I feel so lucky. But not only have school friends been leaving my life, but my two of my BFFs (I'm lazy to write best friends (oh wait. I just did -_-)), who are practically my sisters, moved to another city/country. It's kinda sad. We've known each other for 7 years—almost a decade.**

**XxForeseeingHadesFuturexX: OK, I'm gonna ask again. How's your wrist? Anyways, I'm glad you liked it! Btw, is Stygian older or younger than you? I'm guessing older, LOL**

**LovesToReadOnline: I _would_ change it to Nico... if he wasn't like, 13 in this story. He's 4 years younger than Percy, and Percy's 17 here. And besides, I promised some other readers that Piper will date Will Solace. So I'm sorry I can't let Nico date Piper :(**

**angwyn: Thanks! And you're welcome Ang :) Just in case, I sent you the link for this chapter ;)**

**Pinky456: That's what I think too! LOL. Great minds think alike, no? ;))))**

**Rithika: Tell me what you think of this one ;)**

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><p><strong>Finally! I'm done with this!<br>And can you believe it? In less than a week, TSON will come out!  
>I hope it comes out where I come from...<br>Oh, and that's on 4th October, right? Dang the Physic Exam.**

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><p><span>Chapter 15: Calling<span>

Her eyes scanned the stars above, watching as they twinkle and danced with excitement. A warm, fuzzy feeling curled around her, making her shiver. She played with her fingers, placing them on the cold white ground below.

Now, she would like to say that she was happy. Her plan was working perfectly. She'd been getting compliments, telling her how good of an actress she was. She wouldn't deny it. After seeing her sisters act like Bad Girls, she had gotten the feeling and was able to play it out smoothly.

But the bad side of being an actress was the fact that she had to be the complete opposite of what she was. She had to lie about her whole personality, even though the entire camp, minus Jason and Reyna, of course, knew.

Had her dad ever went through the exact same thing? Feeling like you just can't keep up with your character? If only he was here this moment, then she'll feel just fine.

Her legs carried her away from the amphitheater. It felt good to sing—she _had_ sung on rare occasions. It wasn't a hobby, but it wasn't a complete humiliation as well. Whenever she sung, those never-before-told stories seemed to break lose, telling the crowd her side of the story in form of melody and lyrics.

She pushed her hands deeper into her pocket, her flashing eyes fixed on the road path ahead. Her eyes watched as every single snowflake fell onto the ground before her. She shivered at their instant touch, as electricity trickled down her spine. It was like a sort of sensation—she couldn't help but wait for more chills to come.

"Hey. You OK?"

Piper whirled around to face the voice, ready to attack. Her hands curled at the hilt of Katoptris, as her now green eyes scanned the perimeter for the enemy. Her eyes softened as she met those stormy gray eyes, the very eyes of her friend Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena.

She slowly loosened her grip on Katoptris, letting her hand fall to her sides. "I'm fine," she told her, biting her lip. "Jut a little worried."

"I wouldn't count that as 'fine'," Annabeth laughed.

Piper cracked a smile. It's been a while since she'd last spent time with the daughter of Athena. After the week's events, it felt centuries since the last time they last hung out. It was nice to have a short conversation, despite the cold weather.

"Hey Annabeth?" she asked. Her friend's soft gray eyes landed on her, watching her carefully. Her eyes pleaded for her to go on, as they started to walk in the white land. "Can I borrow your cell phone?"

Annabeth bit her lip. Piper knew she didn't like using it much—only on rare occasions, like emergencies. The daughter of Aphrodite watched her friend's hands fiddled with themselves, wrestling for an answer.

"Please, Annabeth," Piper pleaded, putting as much power in her voice as she could muster. Usually, she wouldn't charmspeak her friends, but she needed the phone more than anything else.

Annabeth sighed in defeat, pulling out a sleek silver device. Piper reached out to grab it, as her fingers gripped on it tightly. "Bring it back soon, OK?" Annabeth asked, before racing off to Bunker 9.

Piper watched as her figure disappeared into the distance, until she was staring at nothing more than a sea of trees. Her eyes went back to the silver phone in her hands, wondering if she should really take the risks.

She decided it was worth it. It was better to try, anyways. Her feet pumped faster and faster, leading her to a small clearing deep in the woods. Her eyes scanned the area, making sure no one was around.

Then, very carefully, she started to climb, getting higher and higher off the ground. The tree was a meeting place Jason, Leo and her had once shared. It was a secret place—no one knew about it, not a single soul. Except the nymph who lived in the tree, of course.

Her hands flipped the phone open, as her fingers pressed the numbers on the delicate keyboard. Her hands shook as she pressed the _call_ button, and she watched as her breath poked out of her mouth as a form of visible air.

"Hello?" a voice said on the other end of the line. Piper smiled, loving the way the voice sound.

"Hey Dad, it's me, Piper," she greeted, her heart thumping a little. Usually, she wouldn't be able to talk to her dad for a long period of time—the longest was one whole minute.

She could tell her dad was smiling on the other line. "Piper! I haven't heard for you in a long time! Are you coming back for Christmas? It's only a week away, you know," her dad said coolly, trying not to rush things.

Another forty seconds. "Yeah, about that. I don't think I can come. The camp I'm going to, or what you call 'school'—" she heard her father chuckle on the other end "—is probably planning a school production or something, but they're not quite sure. So until they figure things out, all students are supposed to stay."

Piper shook as she said those words. She felt bad lying to her dad, when the truth was a million miles away from the lie. She bit her lip, forcing herself not to spill. After seeing what had happened to her dad once, she was _not_ going to let it happen again.

"That's alright Pipes," his voice told her, cracking slightly. She still had another twenty seconds. "I guess I'll see you some other holiday, huh?"

This time, _she_ smiled. "Yeah," her voice quivered, "I guess so."

"So, tell me about school." _Yeah, _school_. If only it were true,_ she sighed.

"It's—it's fine Dad, honest. I guess things are just a little . . . mixed up." Not a complete lie, just, not the whole truth.

"Listen, Pipes, I have to go," her dad's voice said hurryingly, and Piper gave out a sigh. She still had three seconds to go, before she finally might break her record.

"Hey Dad," she blurted. Her dad's voice became sort of muffled on the other end, but Piper took her chances. "What do you do when you're acting, and you don't feel comfortable with the character you're playing anymore? What do you do when you think that that character was taking over your life, changing everything?"

Her dad's thoughtful huff came on the other line, searching for a quick answer. "I just play my part," he said. "I can't quit when I've gone that far. Especially not after a contract."

Piper sighed. She knew he was right. It was too late to back down from the plan now—not when she'd gone this far. She didn't concentrate on her dad's final words, but she managed to tell him goodbye and that she loved him.

She shut the phone, flipping it back to its original form. She slid the metallic device in her pocket, as she carefully climbed down the tree.

Piper walked back to the cabin area, where she found Annabeth, Percy and Jason in deep conversation. She smiled as she watched him laugh, his eyes twinkling and dancing, shooting a thousand sparks into the air. He seemed so carefree, forgetting the fact that Reyna was practically ruining his life.

"Here you go," she said, handing the daughter of Athena her phone back.

Annabeth quickly took it, and slipped it into her pocket before anyone in the area could notice. Percy and Jason raised an eyebrow at the two, but the two girls shook it off.

"I gotta go prepare for another episode," she quickly interjected, trying to break free from the guys' constant gaze. "I-I need to quickly write some questions for the episode with Connor."

Jason frowned at this, and Piper could see the sparks in his eyes dancing wildly. Jealousy was building up inside of him. Piper let out a small smirk, too small for anyone to notice.

But Annabeth got the idea. "You're forgetting Travis," she reminded, an eyebrow raised in the air. The idea was to let Piper look like a lovesick puppy.

More jealousy steamed out of Jason's ear, as his face turned slightly red. Percy smirked at his cousin's reactions, and decided to join in the fun. "You know, Piper, you shouldn't become so focused on Connor," he teased, making Jason more jealous.

The Son of Jupiter's body was shaking, his hands curled into giant fists. The blue veins were visible on his hands, seeing how white his skin was. They were bloodshot, and Piper swore she saw steamed flaring out of his nostrils.

But he resisted the urge to fight.

"You're one to speak," the Daughter of Aphrodite scoffed. "You're staring at Annabeth like a lovesick puppy. I bet you dream about her too."

The couple's faces turned red in embarrassment, and Piper couldn't help but laugh.

Jason watched as she laughed, her laughter twinkling through the soft breeze in the air. He missed hanging out with her—and it was nearly impossible to just simply talk to her with all this Connor business going around. Oh, and let's not forget the female dog.

Piper whirled her head around, as her eyes flickered to blue. Blue eyes met blue, as she watched her 'boyfriend' wink at her. She knew what that meant.

"Alright, I gotta go. I'll see you guys later on, OK?" she asked, waving at them as she rushed to Connor's side.

Well, one thing she _still_ had to do. Play her part. She rushed to his side, grabbing his hand, intertwining their fingers. She tiptoed on her toes as she planted a soft kiss on his cheek, making sure her cheeks colored slightly, like was still not used to this whole dating business. Like she still had an undying _crush_ on the Son of Hermes. She acted like she was blinded, unaware of her surroundings.

The campers played their part too, cooing in the distance, pointing at the 'couple'.

Even Connor was doing great, acting like the boyfriend he should. In their whole entire act, they had only kissed _once_, which was good enough for her.

Jason frowned, not getting the story. On the night of the _Midnight Dance_, Piper had kissed Leo on the lips. Now, she was dating Connor Stoll, the _Bad Boy_ of Camp Half-Blood. What was she up to?

He watched as the too flirted with each other in the distance, as their figures disappeared inside the Aphrodite cabin to do Jupiter knows what. He shivered at the thought, kind of glad that Reyna wasn't enforcing him to do anything like _that_. Hopefully, he wouldn't have to see her face for another millennia.

Speaking of the witch, where _was_ she anyways? He hoped that she was gone, out of his life.

He turned his head to talk to his cousin, but found his kissing his girlfriend _passionately_. He groaned, and walked off, not bothering to say goodbye.

He let his feet carry him all the way to Bunker 9, ready to meet his good friend Leo Valdez. He smiled, remembering his plan in mind. If only he could get Piper, then everything would run smoothly.

One thing for sure, Leo was the man for this job.

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><p><strong>Ta-da! I'll try to update tomorrow, but I can't guarantee you I will. So sorry starlighter.<br>Now listen closely guys. I have an idea for a challenge, but I need to know if you guys are up for it (those with accounts). If you are, then I'll make sure to post the challenge as an author's note _after_ this story is done. And if you aren't, well then, I'm gonna think twice. Maybe.**

**xoxo,  
>Sarah<strong>


	18. Chapter 16: Of Blood and Bruises

**Guess what? This chapter was 3,241 words! Woohoo! Longest I've written in this story... I think. _Anyways_, before we continue, I have a couple of reviews to reply ;)**

**Reply to Reviews:**

**Hungergames3: I'll take that as a yes ;) Here's a VIRTUAL COOKIE (: :) I have no idea why though .**

**starlighter: It's difficult if you're going to an international school, _and_ just've started high school. It's pretty different from US and England, all those other countries. We get homework almost everyday. And to add up the whole pile, we have to do every single freaking homework in _German_, and I've only been learning the language for 2 years X_X Oh well. At least I can follow the lesson ;)**

**redlox2: IKR? LESS THAN A WEEK, BABYYYYY! WOOHOO! I'M HYPED! :DDDD I wonder if it's coming out in my country by then as well. My dad wouldn't let me pre-order it -_- Oh, and the best news: I get to celebrate the coming of the book by doing a _Physics Exam_! Best gift ever! Yay!**

**The Moonlit Waters: Thank you sweetieeeee ;) I'm gonna scan those Manga pictures very soon, btw. I finally found out how to scan them :D Gonna do that tomorrow ;)**

**Whip Linsley: 544 pages? YES! Another GIGANTIC book to read! I LOVE YOU RICK RIORDAN, JUST NOT IN THAT WAY, YOU KNOW! And yes, I got your VIRTUAL M&M Whip ;) Here's a VIRTUAL COOKIE for you (: :) :D**

**Mythologyrocks3: I read your story, and gave some constructive criticism. Don't worry, it's not bad, just a little rushed. You should take time in writing and use more paragraphs. Don't jam everything up into one whole paragraph—it may make the reader's head spin :)**

**Lieutenant Zoe Nightshade: Possibly. I'll think about it ;) I like that idea though. Evil. I love it. And being hyper is normal. Unless you do that on a regular basis. Then that's pretty much my cousin, LOL :)**

**xXxDaughteroftheKingxXx: Glad you liked it! Jason and Leo's talk has been postponed... thanks to Leo. You'll see why. Well, it was partly Jason's fault too—you know what? I'm not gonna ruin the surprise. Have fun reading! ;)**

**lala45768: Is this too soon? Sorry I won't be able to update 'till Saturday night/Sunday :) That's probably Saturday morning/Saturday night if you live in US :P**

**Aeron Thana: Jason is an idiot, and sometimes, I'm not proud to call him my cousin. But oh well. That's how boys are, right? LOL XD**

**LizzyWasHere: I haven't heard from you in a while! Have a VIRTUAL COOKIE! (: :) I'm glad you're liking the plot so far. It's pretty messy, LOL. And I literally _mean_ messy. I'm sort of figuring out the whole thing. LOL, I already have the ending figured out, but nothing more XD**

**Pink456: Piper and Reyna... they're coming soon. Jason and Connor... now _thats_ going to come in _this_ chapter. I hope you've got good popcorn! :D I love them with lots of butter, don't you?**

**demigod surpreim: Thanks! First review, right? VIRTUAL COOKIE time! (: :) Enjoy! ;)**

**XxForeseeingHadesFuturexX: I'm glad you liked it! :) I love reading everyone's reviews—now _that's _an adventure for _me _:P**

**Me: Well then, I shouldn't stop you. Have fun reading!**

**TheGirlWhoWantedToCry: First review: first VIRTUAL COOKIE (: :) What _do_ you call a guy fight? Oh! _Chickfight (n) also known as World War III_ ) It's sooo true, LOL. I don't find Jason _that_ boring—he's cool. But Leo and Piper are awesome—Leo a _thousand_ times better than the two. Just gotta love his humor XD Yep, Piper and Connor. Connor's mine though... it's such a shame I had to let him do this... But what must be done, must be done ;) YES long weekend! Saturday, Sunday _and_ Monday! I don't have to face the first stupid day of school every week :DDD I have piano lessons too. Not enjoying it too much, though. Me too! I've been bugging my friend's all week. Let's just hope it comes out where I come from ;) And sure! Have fun reading!**

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><p><strong>RICK RIORDAN NEWS:<strong>

**Hazel is up on the official site of "The Heroes of Olympus"! Read about her stallion right here:  
>h t t p :  / d i s ne y . g o . c o m / o f f i c i a l - s i t e s / h e r o e s - o f - o l y m p u s / h a z e l **

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><p><span>Chapter 16: Of Blood and Bruises<span>

He walked closer to the boulder, separating him from Leo's workplace. The last time he had been here was about a week ago, when he had just arrived at Camp Half-Blood for the first time.

His eyes scanned the boulder from top to bottom. He was only ten feet away, yet he felt the need to _do_ something before going another step.

But _what_?

He shrugged, figuring it was nothing. Big mistake. As his foot touched the ground for the very first time, missiles erupted from the walls, heading in his direction. Blades popped out, as he was sprayed from head to toe in mustard and ketchup. His face was soon filled with motor oil and Tabasco sauce, which slightly burned his eyes. OK, they burned _a lot_.

He felt the blades scrape his knees, as warm blood oozed out. The missiles made contact with his skin, as a cloud of white powder exploded on him.

He opened his eyes a smidge, only to see red spots dancing over his vision. The sauce burned like fire, but he forced himself to focus.

That's when he realized a bomb was coming his way.

The black ball of metal containing a surprise hit him in the face, sending him toppling to the ground. It wasn't an explosive—it was full of gas. And not just any gas. It was the gas-_gas_. How he hated that type of gas.

He shut his eyes, forcing himself not to breath. He let out a small breath out of his mouth, and accidentally sucked in some of the air around him. Yes, he started choking. Yes, his eyes were burning. And yes, the stench was killing him.

And yet, he didn't realize he was _sinking_.

Inside, Leo raised an eyebrow as he noticed his alarm flashed red from inside his workplace. The whole room was blaring red, as alarm sounds flared. The Son of Hephaestus quickly left his worktable to check the intruder.

Of course, being the wonderful friend he was, he burst out laughing.

Seeing Jason like that was just _gold_. Perfect blackmail material. He knew his friend was dense (not as dense as he was, but he would _never_ admit that. I mean, who _would_?), but could _Jason Grace_ be _this_ stupid?

Leo gave one last laugh, as he tried to tell the machine in an official tone to shut down. "B-beta C-c-co-command! R-re-rele-release a-a-and e-eva-evacu-evacuate t-trap s-security!" he choked, falling over as he clutched onto his stomach for dear life.

"Shutting down Trap Security System," the machine answered in an official tone, its robotic voice sounding more serious than Leo's laughter.

The holes in the wall disappeared. The Tabasco and motor oil squirting hose went back inside the wall. The spray, which was spraying more gas out, stopped, leaving a cloud of brown gas behind. Jason stopped sinking in the quicksand below him, as the ground turned back to regular ground.

Jason opened his eyes a smidge, as the spray filled the long corridor with air refresher. Suddenly, the motor oil hose returned, spraying large amounts of water to clean Jason up.

Soaking wet, he got up, as blow dryers appeared on the side of the wall. Warm air rushed out of the machines, making Jason dry, yet messy.

"Thanks man," Jason said, dusting himself up. His vision was clear once again. He walked over to his friend, who was still rolling with laughter.

"Dude, you should have seen your face man!" Leo roared, as he rolled over once again. "I'm glad I asked the Aphrodite cabin for some of that powder. You're face was full of make-up! And I mean the whole _packet_. Lipstick, eyeliner, blush, powder, eye shadow, mascara, foundation—"

"Alright, I got it!" Jason sighed, exasperated. His hands grabbed onto Leo's wrist, pulling the boy up.

Leo walked beside Jason, his hand still clutching his stomach as he bumped on to the walls. The sight was hilarious he couldn't wait to tell Piper about it.

"Oh no," Jason warned, narrowing his eyes at him. "You will _never_ mention this to _Piper_."

"Oh, come on, man!" Leo protested, throwing his hands up in the air. A mischievous glint crossed his eyes as a crocodile grin crept up onto his lips. "She's like our best friend. She deserves to know everything embarrassing about you!"

Jason rolled his eyes. "Then should I tell her time when you were walking, and accidentally got hit by some Pegasus poop that fell out of the sky?"

Leo paled. "Oh gods, no."

"Then you won't say mine."

"No."

"No," Jason agreed, smirking. Well, at least now they were even. They each have some blackmail material for each other. That's great. Not.

Leo scanned his hand on the panel, as the machine read CONFIRMED. The two friends walked in, entering the room of Leo's messy workplace.

"Dude, check this out," Leo said, and pressed a button on what he calls 'office table'. The empty table—which was actually filled with metal, paper, blueprints, and motor oil (so yeah, not so empty)—flipped, revealing a computer, a notebook, and a cup of coffee (how that survived the flip, Jason wasn't sure).

Jason raised an eyebrow as Leo raced to the seat in front of the table, as he began typing furiously onto the keyboard. Jason walked over next to him, as his eyes watched the screen before him.

"Welcome to another episode of _The Talk of Today_!" Oh. So now Leo's computer was a TV as well. Cool.

"I'm Kylie Gray," Kylie introduced, and pointed to her sister. "And this is Marina White. We're both daughters of Aphrodite, so naturally, we _love_ gossip."

"And what _is_ the gossip of today? Or should we say, the _Talk_ of Today?" Marina asked innocently, batting her long blond eyelashes.

Kylie's perfect pink lips formed an 'O' shape. "Why, Marina, haven't you heard?" she faked gasped, as she stared at her sister in horror.

Marina shook her head, letting her blond hair shake with her head, blowing in all directions.

Kylie pushed Marina softly. "I'm disappointed in you," she scolded. "But I suppose we have to tell the audience as well. By the way, you _do_ know who Connor Stoll is, don't you?"

Jason frowned, not liking where this was going. If _this_ was the Talk of Today, then he wasn't going to enjoy this episode.

"The Son of Hermes?" Marina asked, obviously biting back information she wanted to squeal.

"The hottest guy alive!" a voice yelled from the other side of the room, and a smack sound that followed after. Jason smirked, liking the sound that came after.

"Dude, shut up! Don't ruin the surprise," another voice scolded, as another smack rang throughout the screen. The Son of Jupiter made a mental note to thank the second voice later on.

Marina couldn't take it anymore. "But he's so hot!" she squealed, jumping up and down in her seat, kicking her legs up. Her face turned red from all the squealing, as Kylie tried to calm her down.

"See? What'd I tell you man?"

"Shut up!"

"I didn't say shut up."

"Shut up!"

"Dude, cut it out. You're like a broken CD player."

"SHUT UP!"

Kylie grabbed a pillow, and smacked her sister's head with it. _Much more useful if you hit the (BEEP) there,_ Jason silently thought, growling slightly.

Leo watched his friend in amusement. Somehow, watching this with Jason was more fun than doing it with Piper. He shook his head. Nah. Watching Jason humiliate himself with Piper was better than watching an episode that was completely planned out. Including the answers. Well, everything except for the Stoll's witty comments, of course.

"Sorry 'bout that ladies and gentlemen, but my sister tends to get, ah, _overreacted_ when thinking about Connor Stoll," she said sweetly, her green eyes flashing over the screen.

"Even she agrees!"

"SHUT UP!"

"Dude, is that like your _only_ vocabulary?"

"Anyways, news on the street is that Connor Stoll—"

"The insanely hot g—" He was cut short by a loud bang and the pounding of a head meeting cold floor. Jason grinned. Yup. Definitely thanking Travis Stoll.

"—is dating our very own Piper McLean," Kylie announced, her eyes twinkling with excitement over the thought of _love_. Jason gagged.

Marina streamed out _real_ tears. "That's just so sad! I wanted him!"

Kylie sighed, feeling hopeless. "At least, my dear sister, you _will_ be able to see him right now."

Her sister's face beamed with happiness. "Seriously?"

"Seriously," Kylie confirmed. "Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to introduce you, Travis and Connor Stoll, sons of the one and only, Lord Hermes!"

The screen zoomed out, to reveal Travis, who still looked perfectly normal and tidy, and Connor, whose hair was going in all direction. There was a slight bruise on the top of his forehead, and Jason couldn't help but smirk evilly.

"Hey," the two brothers said casually, putting up an arm as a form of greeting.

Marina was sort of dying there, her eyes going dreamy as she saw Connor. Kylie just smiled her usual sweet, innocent smile.

"So, first up. It's the question _everybody's_ asking. How did you and Piper became . . . you know, the 'It Couple'?" Kylie asked, staring at her sister hopelessly. Well, this is going to be hard.

Connor ran a hand through his hair. "I've actually liked her for some time, really," he answered honestly.

_A long time. Yeah right,_ Leo smirked. Jason was thinking the exact opposite. He met Piper a few minutes _before_ he did. So practically, she was his. Besides, he called dibs on her . . . silently.

"And there was this day, on Tuesday, see? She was helping Leo Valdez, Counselor of the Hephaestus cabin, deliver packages and parcels," he said, a warm glint covering his eye as he 'reminisce'.

Leo chuckled. That had only been two days ago. Or was it yesterday?

"So when I saw her, she was looking as beautiful as ever," the Son of Hermes continued, chuckling slightly. Jason frowned, but continued to watch. "And I so I told myself, 'It's now or never.' So I went up to her and gathered the guts to ask her out. She immediately said yes."

The Roman couldn't believe his ears. All this time, when he thought Piper was in love with him, he was wrong. She only saw him as a friend—no more. She was in love with Connor Stoll. The proof was right there on the screen.

Marina fake-cooed. "Not the best love story I've ever heard," she frowned, but sighed. "It'll do."

"So, since you _and_ Travis are dating somebody, have you ever thought of going on a double date?" Marina asked, twirling her hair with her fingers. _Flirting over her sister's boyfriend, eh?_ Jason asked himself, wondering how desperate Aphrodite girls were.

"NO!" the duo shouted together.

Travis cleared his throat. "Connor's OK for a dude—"

"Hey!"

"—but going on a double date _with_ him and his girlfriend? No way. He eats like a pig. He's humiliating—"

"Hot."

"—disgusting—"

"Awesome."

"—disturbing—"

"_The best_."

"—full of himself—"

"Strong."

"—and now, you understand why," Travis explained, ignoring the fact that Connor had added facts to his long list.

Kylie turned her attention to Connor, who was smirking lightly.

"See, I just hate Travis in general," he pointed out. "He's . . . less than OK for a brother, but it's nothing personal. We all know it."

"Hey!"

"See?" Connor asked, shrugging his shoulders.

Jason didn't get why Piper suddenly like bad boys. Usually, she wasn't into those types, and rather went for calm, cool, collected. What was up with her?

Marina giggled, as she tried to ask the next question. "Who do you think is better? Katie, or Piper?"

"Piper." "Katie." Synchronized timing. Wow.

"See, Katie's a _goodie-too-shoes_," Connor explained.

"Piper's a _bad girl_," Travis interjected. Jason frowned. What _had_ made Piper change? One minute, she was regular old Piper, and the next, she turned to Diva Piper, the bad girl of the century.

"And let's not forget Piper's looks. She's _way_ hot," Connor added.

"Katie is beautiful just the way she looks. No Aphrodite charm resemblance on her, just the way I like it," Travis argued.

"Piper has a sense of _style_. Do you see Katie wearing short shorts and purple stockings? Shoulder shirts? _No_."

"But Katie goes for casual. She's laid back and down-to-earth," Travis frowned, narrowing his eyes at his brother.

Connor chuckled. "Down-to-earth. Bad pun, Trav."

"Whatever."

"Now, since we see the difference, tell me, what's so special about Katie, Travis?" Kylie asked, leaning in a tiny bit closer. It was obvious this was one of her favorite couples.

Travis didn't even blink to reply. "She's calm. She knows what she's doing, which is good. Katie doesn't care about the way she looks. She would usually appear in a T-shirt and shorts, with worn out sneakers covering her feet. Her face would be full of mud, but she wouldn't care," he explained, a fond smile creeping up his face.

"She's also the best girl I've ever met. She's great with kids, and has a lot of understanding. She's sensitive towards others. Even though she's not the best fighter—sorry, babe—she has her own way of showing who she is, and that's what I like best about her. Oh, and she makes _awesome_ chocolate chip cookies."

The two girls squealed, Kylie's being louder. "That was so cute! I love Tratie!" Kylie squealed.

"Wait, _what_?" the older brother frowned, as his younger brother snickered.

Jason wasn't concentrating on the girls' reactions towards Tratie, but one thing for sure, Katie sounded just like Piper—not afraid of who she was. But she's changed. That was the _old_ Piper. New Piper just wanted to be in trend.

"Connor, what's so good about Piper?" Jason leaned in. Oh, this'll be good. Note the sarcasm people.

Connor's face turned a little . . . uncomfortable. "Well, she's hot. And she's really great. But somehow, part of me is thinking about breaking up with her," he told them honestly.

Wait. Jason tried to process the information. Suddenly, realization dawned to him, as he remembered Piper was in the studio room _right then_. She would be hearing every word, and by what he has collected from this little episode, Connor could be her dream guy, whether he liked it or not.

And he hated seeing her cry. She wasn't going to lose a love one again, not after what had happened to her dad.

"—bad idea," Connor finished. Jason noted that he had missed some parts. His eyes turned murderous, thinking about how damaged Piper would be.

He didn't stay to watch the ending. He burst out of the room, letting his legs take him beyond the speed he could usually run.

His body collided with another one, her face frail and full of tears. Her eyes were puffy and almost bloodshot, and Jason knew he had missed a _long_ part of the show.

"Piper, what happened to you?" he asked, touching her cheek softly.

Piper shivered from his touch, wishing for him to come closer. _Focus on acting,_ she told herself, as more fake tears burst out from her eyes.

It hurt to cry, and it wasn't easy. She tried doing everything she could to gather up tears, and the worst memories weren't enough for her. No, it had to be the worst of the worst. She had to remind herself of the time her father broke apart.

Her body shook remembering how fragile he was. "He-he broke up with me," she stuttered, trying to sound unbelievable. "He wanted to break up with me."

Her eyes were fixed on the ground below, not taking them off. How she managed to think of her father while speaking her lines, she didn't know. All she knew it would hurt Bad Girl Piper to lose another loved one again.

"Be right back," Jason promised, as he raced out of Bunker 9. His breath was heavy as the made little puffs of his mouth, visible in the cold air. His feet carried him faster and faster, and his eyes took in every single detail around him.

In other words, he was like a wolf, hunting down his prey.

His eyes fixed on a blurry flash of curly brown, as they started to run around the place frantically. Not his target.

Finally, his blue eyes found the prey, as he raced up to him in full speed. Using the strength in his arms, he tackled down the guy, pinning him down.

"You (BEEP)!" he yelled, punching him in the face. Blood flowed out of his nose at the impact, leaving marks on Jason's fist. "She was _mine_, and _you_ took her! I let you date her, and now you've broken her to pieces! It was _all your fault_!"

His fist hit him in the jaw, as he rose and kicked his prey in the stomach. Connor choked out a little blood, while Travis, who stood beside his brother, looked plain murderous.

"Jason, I don't _care_ if you're a Roman, or if you're a son of Jupiter, but no one, and I mean _no one_, hurts my brother like that!" Travis yelled, as he curled his hand into a fist to hit the Son of Jupiter.

Suddenly, another arm stretched out, blocking his punch. "No," Connor stopped him. "Let _me_ fight him."

The Son of Hermes kicked Jason in the stomach, making _him_ choke blood. His fist punched his cheeks, making his opponent's face swerve to the right on the hard impact.

His feet rose up, and kicked him in the chest, making him topple onto the freezing snow.

Bloody and bruised, Jason stood up, curling his fist. He punched Connor once more, and kicked him in the soft spot.

The Son of Hermes toppled to the ground, crying in pain. Jason kicked him some more, slapping the guy's face. He grabbed his arm, and send electricity out of his fingers, shocking the Son of Hermes into unconsciousness.

"Jason!" Piper's voice screamed at him, but he didn't pay attention. He didn't ponder over the question on _when_ she had gotten here, but it didn't matter.

A soft trotting followed by a growl appeared nearby, as Jason glared at the unconscious body. Thunder boomed in the air, making the area chaotic and nervous. He had no control over his anger now.

"Jason!" Chiron pleaded, warning him.

No use. "Jason Grace, you _will _stop this instance!" he tried again, but it was no use.

Finally, he felt sharp claws rip through his skin, as blood dripped from his right cheek. His eyes fixed on Lupa, and understanding passed between the Mother Wolf and her pup.

_Jason, come with me_, her voice growled, as the wolf started to disappear into the distance above.

Jason stared murderously at Connor, before following the Mother Wolf to the Big House.

In the distance, he could hear Chiron telling Will Solace and his siblings to bring Connor to the infirmary. He could feel Travis's glared down his back, sending his soul to Tartarus.

_If only I had told her how much she meant to be, before _he_ did,_ Jason silently sighed, regretting every move. It was too late. Piper would've probably hated him by now.

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><p><strong>How was it? Good? Bad? Tell me in the reviews. If it was your first review, then please mention it ;) I'll give you a VIRTUAL COOKIE. Anyways, the story's ending is still a looooooong way to go, so be happy :) This will last for another couple... chapters. Let's say 10. Maybe more :P<strong>

**xoxo,  
>Sarah (winonabcd)<strong>

**P.S. I forgot what I wanted to say... oh yeah. Are you still up for a challenge? (Actually, that wasn't what I really was going to say, but I'm still wondering if you were :P Now I gotta try to remember... OH YEAH!)**

**P.P.S. NEXT UPDATE: SATURDAY NIGHT/SUNDAY**

**P.P.P.S. For those who read "The Child of the Gods": I don't know when I will update XP**

**P.P.P.P.S (Sorry for the so many P.S. thing) Can anyone tell me what TSON is about once it's out? Just in case it doesn't come out in my country.**

**P.P.P.P.P.S. Sorry, just wondering, but what _does_ P.S. really stand for?**


	19. Chapter 17: Onto Phase Two

**Hey guys! Sorry for updating so late :/ Thank my classmates for that—they've made me hyper so that I couldn't sit still. Anyways, the last chapter has more than 30 reviews! This story is also close to 300 reviews :DDDDD Thank you so much guys!**

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**xXxDaughteroftheKingxXx: AGREED! I'LL GO ASK HIM IF HE HAS THE TAPEEEEE :DDDDD (SORRY, I'M HYPER, LOL)**

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**starlighter: yeah, I guess. And sorry for the late update. I was soooo busy yesterday :/ Tomorrow I'm fully booked, so I can't update then as well. You'll just have to wait for Monday :(**

**Liana: VIRTUAL COOKIE (: :)**

**Aeron Thana: Something like that. I took your idea into good use, but no, they're not gonna flirt. At least I don't _think_ that's flirting...**

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**bookluver07: Jason's not gonna admit—not yet. And thanks! I've been wondering about that since 2nd grade :/ Here's a VIRTUAL COOKIE for telling me :D (: :) And thanks for the summary in goodreads! I haven't read it yet, LOL. The summary, I mean :)**

**XxForeseeingHadesFuturexX: I pronounce you husband and wife! Though I'm not sure which one's which... wait. You're the wife, so this story makes it the husband. Why am I fussing over this?**

**daughterofposeidon99: *Nico appears in Cabin 3* (Nico) uh, hey, Caroline... I was, uh, wondering if you're free this friday night? Because I was wondering if you want to go to the movies. I heard there's this really cool, uh, movie on... *I enter with my idiotic twin behind moi* (Me) Oi, Nico. OUT. Poseidon kids only. (Nico) Bu— (Percy) Sorry lil couz, but I agree on my younger sis here. (Me) IT WAS TWO FREAKING SECONDS! (Percy) Whatev. (Me) Sorry I had to kick him out, but Percy wanted to, uh, have a SERIOUS talk with you -_- (Percy) OK, now...**

**Ant Carrying A Rubber Tree: Thankyou! And people say mate in Australia, not England, LOL. I would know since I lived there as a kid ;) Well, I'm sorta a kid. Teenager. Oh, and have 2 VIRTUAL COOKIEs (: :) (: :)**

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**Pinky456: No, Jason does not know Connor and Piper were faking. Otherwise, there will be no drama. Reyna's not gonna come out 'til the next chapter, so sorry :( I'm sure Katie was horrified :P If you want, I can show you Katie's thoughts to the fight in the next chap :)**

**angwyn: Thanks so much! I don't swear, and I rarely cuss (same thing -_-) so yeah, :) And if your sister is really into writing, then she really should :) Everyone has some sort of natural talent for every single thing we do, but some are just better at it. If she enjoys writing, then she should write :) I don't watch Star Wars, but if she writes, I'll review for sure :) Oh, and have a VIRTUAL COOKIE (: :)**

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**Me: I love writing fights. That was a rushed version, to be honest. If you want to read a better one, go to fictionpress and search for my name (winonabcd) and read "Running". I wrote it in 2 minutes, hehe.**

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><p><strong>Phew! My fingers tired after replying 30+ reviews and bouncing between three tabs back and forth!<br>Anyways, have fun reading! And sorry for the late update!**

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><p><span>Chapter 17: Onto Phase Two<span>

Jason followed the wolf goddess inside the Big House, his right hand holding the scratch marks on his right print. He could feel the gooey blood stick to his fingers, as his ice-cold hands grew warm at the touch of his own blood.

He kept his eyes on the Mother Wolf's back, following her to the big blue house. His feet dug themselves an inch deep in the white snow, as birds flew in the air, chirping _spring_ songs in the middle of _winter_.

It all sounded like Snow White to him.

He wondered if Piper had heard what he had said, and if so, how she would react. He didn't think she would want him after what he had done to her boyfriend.

_Ex-_boyfriend, he reminded himself, keeping his eyes on his trainer. That would mean that he still had a chance, if New Piper wasn't running around searching for a new boyfriend to love.

Jason sighed, knowing that was _exactly_ what New Piper would be doing. The changes in her were gigantic—he didn't know where to begin. Every single fact about her has changed.

Before she changed, she tried to hide herself among the crowds, dressing like everybody else. Somehow, she managed to be unique as she followed everyone around her. He didn't know _how_ she did it, but she was special in those crowds of look-a-likes.

Now, New Piper wore designer outfits while carrying a tube of lipgloss everywhere she goes. She sometimes curled her hair now, as if it was the new big thing. She was _never_ seen without make-up, and has never seen without at least ten different bangles and/or a watch on her wrist. Everyday she wore a different necklace, never wearing the same one twice in a week.

Her ears always hung silver or gold, and her feet were covered with Converse, and sometimes Jimmy Choo. She became more girly and feminine, and more like her sisters. She gossiped, talked, and eventually became every guy's dream girl.

Jason wondered what had gotten into her. Had Reyna poisoned her with some sort girl-magnifying potion? Or maybe she had challenged her and made her this feminine and girly—the exact opposite of what she is.

Nah, it's probably the first one.

The Son of Jupiter stopped in his tracks, as his eyes struggled to meet the wolf goddess's own stern eyes. She was a few feet taller than he was—and that's saying something.

_Jason_, she growled, showing her pearly white fangs. Her eyes glared at him, but he stood his ground. Romans never show weakness._ What you did was unacceptable._

"He was hurting a fellow demigod," Jason stated, keeping his expression calm.

_But you were attacking a fellow demigod as well,_ Lupa countered, her eyes flashing dangerously. _Each demigod has their worth, some better than others, but that _still_ does not mean that you have the right to attack._

"But Lupa—"

_You are confined to your cabin during free period, and your training hours will be tripled. You are now on kitchen duty for the rest of our stay. Dismissed._ The wolf left the Son of Jupiter alone, standing there wondering where he had gone wrong.

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><p>Piper ran towards the infirmary, her legs getting faster and faster within each step. She couldn't believe Jason had done that, beating up Connor until he was unconscious.<p>

She could hear her sisters squealing in the distance, mentioning Jasper and Jason a couple times. She shook her head. Not the time.

Her hands pushed the infirmary doors open, her delicate fingers shivering at the touch of the frost layering the wooden surface. Her eyes scanned the room to find a single bed occupied by the Son of Hermes.

She rushed to his side, taking in the damage.

"Broken nose, and a few broken ribs. His heart had stopped beating for a few seconds, but now it's pretty steady," a voice confirmed from behind her, making her jump.

She turned around, to meet the warm blue eyes of the Son of Apollo. He ran his hands through his blond hair, making it stand on several places.

"Will Solace," she greeted, recognizing him from the several war councils they've had before.

The Son of Apollo's eyes twinkled when greeted, and a smile formed upon his lips. He walked over to the other side of Connor's bed, taking his wrist and checking his pulse.

"Is he alright?" she quickly said, unsure whether Connor was going to live.

Will chuckled. "He's fine. He's going to need a lot of rest, and he should be spending his Christmas in the infirmary. That's one Christmas without the Stolls."

Piper laughed, her sweet laughter tingling the air like soft chimes in the breezy wind. Outside the window, she caught Drew's gaze, as her older half-sister reminded her of a small task yet to be done.

"Hey, Will?" she asked, getting slightly uncomfortable. It's back to Bad Girl Piper.

The Son of Apollo looked up from his clipboard full of tests, his blue eyes shining as blue met blue.

Piper started to fidget, not wanting to do her next task. "Say, you've heard about The Plan, right?"

Will laughed, but he nodded. It was the biggest sensation at camp—a rumor her sisters spread in order to get the whole camp on their side. It wasn't hard, as everybody believed every single fact about Reyna. And everybody knew about it. Except Reyna and her legion, of course. And let's not forget Jason.

"Well, we're starting Phase Two, and I was wondering if . . . if you could . . . I mean, if it's possible . . ."

"Don't worry, I get it," he interjected, saving her from all the trouble. She felt her cheeks turn red from the embarrassment, causing Will to slightly smirk. "Sure, I'll do the favor for you."

Piper sighed in relief. "Thank y—"

"_If_ you debut my album, which I am recording," he smirked.

Piper sighed. That was the problem. Every single 'boyfriend' she had _has_ to have a favor done. But there was no other choice. She shared a last glance at Drew, who nodded in agreement.

She shook her head, but a smile curled upon her pink lips. She looked up, her eyes flashing green. "You've got yourself a deal."

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><p>Jason fixed his eyes on the ceiling above, watching as lightning flashed and thunder rumbled. His electric blue eyes darted to the statue of his father in the center of the room, big, proud, and mighty.<p>

He wished he were like that. Sometimes, he felt weak and uncertain. His dad seemed to know everything and seemed to be confident about it. But as a Roman, he was trained not to show what he thought or felt, but more of _how_ he should act. Brave, strong and leader-like.

A silent moment passed before he heard a knock from the door of his cabin. His eyes flew to the door, meeting the eyes of a dark-haired young boy.

"Percy sent me to die. I mean, to call you for dinner," he said, panicking slightly. He was already backing away from the door as his eyes stared at the statue of Zeus in fear.

Jason chuckled at his younger cousin, as he got up from his bed and walked outside, following Nico to the pavilion.

Their feet grew deeper and deeper in the snow, until the blanket reached halfway to their knees. The walk was silent, though Jason knew there could be a thousand topics to be discussed between the two of them.

He wondered why Nico had that knowing look on his face, like he was half scared.

And that's when he got his answer.

The Dining Pavilion was still empty, as in the far distance, demigods, according to their cabins, were marching up, ready to have a nice dinner together. But what Jason saw was going to ruin his whole dinner.

Because right before his very eyes, his girl, his true love, was kissing another man. Piper McLean was kissing Will Solace _passionately_.

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><p><strong>My hands really tired right now. I'm gonna post a few lyrics that I've written myself for Will's song when Piper and pals promote his album. What do you think? Should I, or should I not? It's just gonna be a stanza, so no worries (you know who you are) ;) ;)<strong>

**xoxo,  
>Sarah (winonabcd)<strong>


	20. Chapter 18: My Turn

**Hey guys! I'm back with a pretty early update :) I woke up at 5 AM to write this for you, so I can post something before I go today. Busy day ahead! I love you guys so much! I'm getting closer to 300 reviews by the second! Thanks so much :DDD**

**Reply to Reviews:**

**lala45768: I'll try to make it Jasper. But with the whole plan going on, I can't really make that happen, can I? Anyways, this isn't a very good chapter (in my opinion) and is pretty boring. I'm running out of ideas *sigh* :/**

**Aeron Thana: Thanks! I'm glad you liked it :) This chapter isn't as good as the last, in my opinion, but I _did_ feature an old song I wrote myself. But only part of it. Hehe. That's the only part I'm proud of so far :P**

**EvilAndI'mProudOfIt: LOL, I just realized that Jason was there the whole time, and he didn't say anything. And yes, but twin is an idiotic maniac. (Percy from the bathroom) I HEARD THAT! (Me) You were supposed to! Anyways, like I promised, here's a VIRTUAL COOKIE for making an awesome script! (: :)**

**xXxDaughteroftheKingxXx: Yeah, I guess so. It's kinda annoying, making songs their own. At least when they sing it for contests or something, it makes sense. ANYWHO, I'll put more Jason/Percy/Nico moments in the following chapter. Then I'll jump Leo in it. 4X the maniacs! (Percy) I CAN STILL HEAR YOU! (Me) Whatever. Thanks for reviewing!**

**XxForeseeingHadesFuturexX: I love the 39 Clues! I've only read the first book though, and that's the one by Rick Riordan... I'll read it, don't worry. In fact, I'm gonna go read it right now... after I walk me dogs...**

**Tally Jennifer Youngblood: LOL, ikr? I love Nico, he's my best cousin. On the Greek side, that is. And on the Roman, Jason is. Man, with Jason, Nico and Percy surrounding me, I might turn into an idiot... (Percy) I HEA— (Me) I GOT IT! Jeez. This is why I hate twins...**

**CimFan: Wow. I'm getting slightly confused, LOL. But the days of the week are easy to remember, since they're close to my mother tongue. No, it's not Arabic. Hades no.**

**Pinky456: LOL, I know. Travis knows that Connor and Piper is faking, the more reason to get angry at Jason for hitting his brother for no reason. Ugh, Aphrodite's getting annoying. She's been toying with me lately. Yesterday, she made me act like a girly girl in front of my friends and turn me _love doctor_... NOT COOL. That's the opposite of who I am!**

**redlox2: Hm... any juicy information, really. Spoil it as much as you can ;) Oh, tell me what happens when Percy gets to Camp Jupiter. I'm stoked! And yes, the plan is risky. But that makes Jason jealous more, and when a guy is jealous, they'll probably do _anything_ to get that girl. At least, that's what I think...**

**daughterofposeidon99: and the post-play continues... (Me) You know, you can play big brother for a day Perce. (Percy) So _now_ you admit I'm older? (Me) I don't admit you're older. I just said you can _play_ the role. (Percy) You're a girl! You talk girl! (Me) I'm not a regular girl! (Percy) So what are you? (Me) *rolls eyes* anyways, I need to go check on Connor now... (chokes up) Will told me he was still unconscious... I hope he's not in a coma... (Caroline from outside) *still doing happy dance* I can't believe it! (Percy) Care... aren't you gonna listen to me?**

**TheGirlWhoWantedToCry: Hahahaha you can have him. Connor's mine though ;) I'm glad you're liking the story so far :D Now I gotta go check on Connor. Hopefully he's conscious by now...**

**Liana: Next update: Monday. Hopefully in the morning. But if you live in the US, then hopefully by Sunday night :)**

**Mythologyrocks3: Speaking of water, I miss swimming :( I'm not _awesome_ at it, but I _love_ water :D And that was so Jason could get jealous. With her sisters spreading gossip, the wave will reach him sooner or later. Alas, the following day is going to be Christmas, and by then I plan to get Jasper together. This story might be ending sooner than I think :( And I like that idea... I might use it in the future :D**

**Pucabrina: Thanks! Here's a VIRTUAL COOKIE for your first review! (: :) I love the Stolls too, but I gotta warn you, Connor's _mineeeeeee_ :DDDDD**

**KayCee: LOL, you reviewed when I wanted to click update! So I went back to reply to you :) Anyways, I'm glad you liked it! There's more Piper in _this_ chapter, but Jason's up next :) Get ready!**

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading everyone!<br>I'm handing extra-buttered popcorn right now to y'all :D  
><strong>**And virtual M&Ms  
>(m) (m) (m) (m) (m) (m)<strong>

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><p><span>Chapter 18: My Turn<span>

His mind raced. He couldn't stand what he was seeing. His girl, _his_ true love, was kissing _Will freaking Solace_. From the corner of his eye, he could see Reyna, her nostrils flared as her eyes flared with anger. By her feet, her two dogs were growling, feeling their master's anger.

One by one, everyone filed in, but the two remained lip-locked. He watched in horror as Solace's hands slid around her waist, pulling her closer than ever. A playful smile formed upon the Daughter of Aphrodite's lips, as she slid her arms around his neck, deepening the kiss.

Nico and Jason stood there in horror, and he was sure his little cousin didn't know anything, much like him. The only thing in his mind: _Whaaatttt?_

They heard the _clip-clop_ of horse's hooves, trotting into the pavilion. The centaur looked mildly uncomfortable, as he cleared his throat, trying to break the couple's mild kiss.

No use. They only scooted closer to each other as Will slowly lifted Piper up on his lap. She twisted her head slightly, trying to make the kiss look as convincing as possible.

The centaur cleared his throat again. _And this is why you need to teach them discipline, _he heard Lupa growl, as she sat down, curling her lips.

Jason held back the urge to chuckle. He knew it wasn't the time. He watched, as painful as it was, as the couples only came closer. How do they keep their breath for so long?

Finally, they pulled back, their chests going up and down slowly, their breath heavy. They were staring at each other in lust, as if wanting more from the other. He slowly made his way to the Zeus table, his eyes fixed on that little scene, along with everybody else.

Piper saw Chiron frown, as she quickly rushed up and ran over to her own table. Her sisters squealed and pushed her around. He wondered how they would act if Piper was dating him. Maybe not as excited as _Piper and Will_.

His fork tossed his food around, rolling a broccoli off his plate. He sighed, as he got up, and jogged off back to his cabin to sulk.

Reyna growled at the effect Piper was giving _her_ boyfriend, as she watched him run off from her own table. She stabbed a broccoli angrily, before pulling it off the fork and into her mouth. Her teeth chewed the vegetable angrily, as her eyes only flared more.

She was going to need a plan. A plan that would crush the daughter of Aphrodite to dust. Something ingenious, something worth remembering for eons. How she wished she had asked Lady Venus for help.

Suddenly, her mind clicked as an evil plan formed in her mind. She just needed the right time . . .

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><p>Piper woke up, happy and dazed. She was glad that her plan was working. Besides, it was <em>so<em> cute to see Jason jealous of her 'boyfriend'. She frowned, thinking about how her sisters were poisoning her mind.

She hesitated, before grabbing the outfit her sisters had prepared for her. How she missed wearing T-shirts and jeans, and to let her feet drown in worn out sneakers or her famous combat boots.

Her life had been changing a lot recently, thanks to all the drama happening around her. She hated the fact that she was playing one of the main roles. She quickly slipped inside the bathroom before doing her daily routine. At least, her daily routine these past few days.

She slipped out, quickly filing her siblings up in a neat straight line. She watched as they went out the door to have breakfast, before grabbing Little Tess's tiny hand.

Doing her regular, Piper or Bad Girl, routine, she walked up to the fire, before scraping off some bread and fresh, plump strawberries into the fire. _Aphrodite_, she silently thought. "Thanks for everything, Mom."

She skipped back happily to her seat, ignoring the different types of glares that female dog of a Roman was giving her. She grabbed a toast off her plate, before happily walking out of pavilion.

Her feet dragged her to the lake, waiting for the day's activities to start. Due to the cold weather, the lake was frozen solid. Her eyes flashed brown, as she watched little kids slid across the ice, doing their silly dances.

The twin daughters of Khione were a natural to figure skating, as they danced in silky dresses. They didn't wear a jacket on top of their sleeveless figure-skating dresses, as they sparkled silver and blue like snow.

She felt someone sit down next to her, and she didn't need to look his direction to know who it was. "Hey Leo," she greeted cheerfully. "Long time no see."

"If you mean long time no see since yesterday, then I guess it's been centuries," he grinned, lying back on the tree behind them.

She smiled, as the laughter of kids filled the air. Her eyes watched the twins of the snow goddess, as their dance enchanted her.

Snowflake, one of the twins, had blond hair and ice-crystal blue eyes. Her blond, wavy hair danced in the wind as she twirled, sinking to the ground.

Crystal, the other twin, was an exact replica of Khione. She had the same black hair and coffee brown eyes. Her black hair was long, and flew in the different directions the wind was blowing.

"I remember how you had a crush on Khione," Piper laughed, remembering that one time when they visited Boreas's castle.

The Son of Hephaestus groaned. "Ugh, don't remind me! I'd rather be pooped by Pegasus than falling in love with her!"

"Pooped by Pegasus?" Piper asked, her eyebrow arched above her eye.

Leo blushed. "Uh, long story."

"We have all day."

"Oh, look at the time! I have orders to fill! I'll see you later beauty queen!"

"Hey!" she yelled at him, as she watched him run all the way back to Bunker 9. She sighed, as she leaned back, enjoying the two dancing ice princesses.

Suddenly, someone sat next to her, as he shivered at the cold ground below him. She snapped her head towards her 'boyfriend', who was enjoying the music of laughter ringing through the air.

"Well hello, my lovely little 'boyfriend'," Piper teased, as Will laughed. From afar, she could tell it looked like the two were flirting, when they were really sharing jokes with one another.

"Hello, my lovely little 'girlfriend'," he fired back, grinning like a maniac. His fingers grabbed the guitar sitting next to him, as he strummed it for inspiration. "I hate winter. Not enough sunny days."

"You're starting to act like Apollo," she groaned, thinking about the stories Percy and Annabeth had told her once. She chuckled when Percy gave her blackmail material on Thalia. Oh, if only Will's dad knew that she thought he was hot . . .

"I'm his son, remember?" His fingers started playing the chord of C, humming to a song she had heard on the radio once. He strummed it again, switching to E, as he hummed another different song.

"How's your song writing going?" she asked, as she spotted Jason walking out of his cabin from afar. His eyes stared at the two of them on the hill by the lake, as he shook his head and ran over to the arena.

She sighed, wishing that Jason knew the truth. He was really blind. She had been sending him all these clues, and he _still_ hasn't gotten the message.

Will smiled. "It's getting better. I'm currently working on a new song, but I've only gotten the first verse sorted out."

"Let's hear it then," Piper urged.

The Son of Apollo smiled, as he strummed his guitar, his own song spluttering out of his mouth.

"_Have you ever wondered  
><em>_If a raindrop has it purpose  
><em>_Of falling from the sky?_

_Have you ever noticed  
><em>_That a flower blooms in spring?  
><em>_Why can't it bloom in the middle of July?"_

"Wow," she breathed. "What's the message of the song?"

The Son of Apollo laughed. "I'm trying to make it about life. Though I'm pretty much stuck."

Piper tapped her chin. "How about '_Questions buzzing in your head/Things aren't just making sense_'?"

Will smiled, as he jotted that down onto his notebook, which he brought with him. He quickly found the chords easily, as they passed to the song miraculously. "_Let me tell you what my dad said,_" he sang, adding that to the pre-chorus.

"Nice," Piper commented, smiling at the thought. The last part reminded her of her dad, and how he would tell her Cherokee stories about life. She stood up, taking off some snow from her skinny jeans. "I need to head to Monster Assault Techniques with the Hephaestus Cabin."

Will smiled at her, waving as she disappeared into the distance.

Reyna frowned from her spot behind the tree. One minute, Piper and Will were all lovey-dovey. The next, they were casual, taking their relationship slowly. The Roman shook her head. She'll never get Venus's kids.

Her canines growled in warning, reminding her she had Archery with Jason and the Minerva cabin now. She shook her head as she raced down the hill. Little did she know that the little spy (aka herself) had spotted by her worst enemy.

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><p><strong>It's pretty crappy, if you ask me. I hope you guys liked it though. If you want to read the rest of the song, tell me, so I can either PM you it or post it on my blog :) I'll put up the link later on. And is anyone in the US going to Olympian Week? I wanna go for sure, but unfortunately, I can't do that, not where I am :**

**xoxo,  
><strong>**Sarah (winonabcd) **


	21. Chapter 19: The Moment

**HAPPY GERMAN UNITY DAY! Before you all start wondering if I'm German, I'm not. Like I said before (I'm pretty sure I said it) I'm Asian. No, I'm not living in Germany. Far away from there, actually. Anyways, this is my favorite chapter: THE CHAPTER YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR!**

**Reply to Reviews****:**

**redlox2: Guess what? I found a loophole! I can read TSON after all! You know jlmill9? The one who posts epic reading stories (you know where the PJO crew reads the PJO series)? Well, I just remembered that in her TLH reading story, Rachel mentions a fact that she has THE NEXT BOOK, which means... I CAN READ IT AFTER ALL! I'm so excited, I've been squealing the whole day! XD**

**N: Your first review? Here, have a VIRTUAL COOKIE! (: :) Oh, and to reply that review of yours... heigowwqnp :D**

**ShadowNinja1011: Hahahaha. They're cousins. They have telepathic minds O_O Wait. I'm their cousin as well. :O I gotta run! ANYWAYS, I guess Piper's acting like a "playgirl" (that's what we call it around where I live :) ). But she's not considered that, except to Jason and Reyna she is. But Jason still sees the good in her. Trust me :) Here's your VIRTUAL COOKIE (: :) It is your first review, right?**

**Mythologyrocks3: Wow. That's such a long review XD Anyways, it looks like I've got another sister! *Percy walks out of the bathroom after a long shower* (Percy) Wait. Another sister? OH COME ON! I'M LIKE SURROUNDED BY THOSE THESE DAYS (Me) _Those_? (Percy) Yeah, got a problem with that? (Me) We have a name, Percy. And we're called _girls_. 'Course, you don't know that. (Percy) HEY! (Me) Glad you had a great first day at camp! Anyways, that'll be possible, but I have another idea in mind *wriggles eyebrows* (Percy) Ugh, don't do that, it's weird. (Me) *slaps his shoulder but he doesn't feel a thing* Curse his Achilles heel thinga-ma-blob...**

**Aeron Thana: It runs in the family ;) Luckily, I didn't inherit the stupidity, LOL. (Percy who is sitting next to me ever since the last reply) Ahem. (Me) Oh, right. Sorry. (Percy) *grins* (Me) I'm sorry you're an idiot *tries not to laugh* (Percy) *throws pillow at moi* Hey! [gotta love brothers XD]**

**daughterofposeidon99: and the post-play continues... (Me) *walks inside cabin and sees horrified faces* Uh, what's wrong with you? (Percy) Oh, you're _so_ lucky you missed it. (Me) *got the idea* Ah... well, I'm lucky that way :D (Care [I'll just call you that ;)]) Well, you're _really_ lucky you missed it. That was so terrifying... *shivers* (Percy) I agree... (Me) Oh well. To tell the truth, Dad already gave me "The Talk" long ago... and Apollo was there, adding all the details... *shivers* let's just say you were lucky Apollo wasn't there... *Apollo poofs in* (Apollo) Time to have a little fun, kids! *Hermes poofs in* (Hermes) Say, Sarah, you wouldn't want to break the tradition, would you? (Me) Oh boy. Here we go again -_- (Care and Percy) *gulps* TO BE CONTINUED**

**starlighter: Mine too! Have a VITUAL COOKIE 'cause we have the same nightmare! (LOL) (: :) Anyways, I'm gonna have to warn you, though: you're gonna act more like an Aphrodite girl after this chapter. I think.**

**CimFan: Sorry, if I tell you my mother language, you'll know where I come from :P Not that I want you to know, but this _is_ public, you know. Thanks for the lesson! I'm gonna be saying cachol a lot now... hehehehe love that color :D And I'll read it right after I finish replying everyone's reviews, K?**

**Me: People told me that already, hehe. But have a VIRTUAL COOKIE! (: :) And thank you! I wrote that song two years ago :)**

**roach26: Seriously? LOL, I just let my imagination fly. And thanks for the cookie! Here, have one too! (: :) Oh, and this chapter is more for like, girls, but read it... IF YOU DARE. LOL ;) ;)**

**The Moonlit Waters: Oooh, love your question. Yes, 'Piper' would actually cheat on her boyfriend. But PIPER, as in REAL Piper, would never, ever do that. She's single anyways XD**

**xXxDaughteroftheKingxXx: I prayed for you! I hope your computer's OK :) Anyways, yes, I think that runs in the family, and thank... er... goodness that I didn't inherit it :P I'm drifting of to dreamland now... LOL. I haven't read The Hunger Games yet :/ Somehow, I'm not drawn to it. But at the same time, I wanna read it as well, you know? Oh well. I'll finish Maximum Ride first, then Mortal Instruments and _then_ read Hunger Games. Or read them all at once :P Do you play any instruments? I'll send you the chords of the song once I find it :)**

**lala45768: IKR? SO STOKED FOR THE SON OF NEPTUNE! Guess what? I FOUND A LOOPHOLE! I CAN READ THE SON OF NEPTUNE! You know jlmill9, the person who posts reading stories? Yeah, in her Reading TLH, Rachel said SHE HAS THE NEXT BOOK. I CAN READ TSON!**

**XxForeseeingHadesFuturexX: No, actually, I haven't read The Hunger Games. Like I told xXxDaughteroftheKingxXx, I'm not exactly drawn to it. However, I _do_ want to read it. I'm not even sure that makes sense. ANYWAYS, I'll send you the chords... once I find it, LOL ;) Btw, where's your 39 Clues story? I didn't see it on your author's page...**

**giselle: Your name reminded me of an old friend of mine :) Have a VIRTUAL COOKIE for that (: :) And for your first review, you get another VIRTUAL COOKIE! (: :) Hugs!**

**KayCee: I love to read everyone's reviews, and I respond to every one of them because they every single one deserve a response :) Even pointless ones, like UPDATE! or something like that. Anyways, the worst enemy was Piper. They're rivals here, remember? Hope you liked this one!**

**angwyn: Thanks for reviewing! I loved our chat this morning. I can't wait for the our video chat! Wait! That just gives me an idea XD Have a VIRTUAL COOKIE for that (: :) God bless!**

**Tally Jennifer Youngblood: Hey, can I ask you a favor? I'm pretty much messed up right now, and I can't come up with a plan that will backfire. Can you figure out Reyna's backfiring plan? My brain's kinda slow. It'll be totally awesome if you did :) PM me your idea, and I'll credit the chapter to you :D**

**TwinkleLights123: You've got a point. This next chapter will please you for sure ;) I'm not going to stop you, so read ahead. Oh, and have this VIRTUAL COOKIE as well :D (: :)**

**demigod surpreim: really? Thanks! I'm glad you liked it, and hopefully, you'll like this one too!**

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><p><strong>I feel the need to share this with you guys but...<br>I found a loophole!  
>Now I know I've told some of you this before,<br>but you know jlmill9? The awesome author who writes fics about the PJO gang reading the PJO books?  
>Yeah, well, in Reading The Lost Hero, Rachel mentions that she has the next book,<br>where all the answers may come clear.  
>Guess what book?<br>THE SON OF NEPTUNE!  
>I can read it after all! YESSSSS!<strong>

**P.S. For those who are wondering (you know who you are) the VIRTUAL COOKIES are chocolate-chip cookies. Unless you're allergic, of course.**

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><p><span>Chapter 20: The Moment<span>

Piper walked along the shore, thinking about what she had seen earlier that day. The waves rushed silently towards the shore, making small, silent tides. The summer breeze shook the whole area, as the smell of sea clouded the beach.

Her toes dug themselves into the sand, as sweat poured down her face due to the blazing heat. Her eyes fixed themselves on the warm golden sand in front of her, her mind calm, yet racing.

Why was Reyna spying on them? Did she know that she was faking the whole thing? Was she planning her revenge then? More importantly, why wasn't she with Jason? Had they broken up?

She shook her head, as her lush chocolate-brown hair bounced along. Her hand reached to her hair, as she ran her fingers through it, combing her the long strands. She had become more like a typical daughter of Aphrodite in the last few days, and she did _not_ like it. She was unique, different from the rest of her sisters.

On the other side of the beach, Jason walked along, as he tried to get his mind off Piper and Reyna. He knew he was supposed to be confined to his cabin, but somehow, his feet wondered off to the beach, searching for an answer.

Piper was unique; she stood out among the crowd, no matter how much she tried to hide. She didn't care what people thought of her; she stayed true to what she was. She was beautiful without trying. Cute, was another word to describe her, but the word was not strong enough.

She was also strong and courageous, and tried her best not to show her weakness. As much as she was caring, nice, and full of empathy, she could be violent and unpredictable. Always a mystery, but at the same time, always expected. She was like a complicated storm, rustling in all directions, yet you couldn't figure out how. She was unique that way, different from all those boring storms.

His mind somehow darted to Reyna, as he remembered his childhood life, spending time with his childhood friend. Reyna was important, no doubt. He remembered how much he had feared those automatons of her, but in the end, he grew fond of them.

Reyna was different from Piper—she knew what she was doing and was so sure she was right. She wouldn't hesitate or back down from a challenge, knowing that it was a sign of weakness to do so. She knew what it was like to be a proper Roman; brave, disciplined, and not child-like. She put her mind on training first, before everything else. No lose ends, all sturdy and firm.

But that was the problem. She didn't get the term "fun". After being with the Greeks for so long, Jason had added that term to his To-Do list. It was one thing Leo and Piper had taught him; to loosen up, and to break out of his hard shell.

Reyna still hasn't hatched from her egg. The little eagle was trapped inside, with no way out. Her life was balanced, and sooner or later, she would fall from her next, and splatter into complete chaos far before she had even had the chance to break free. Pluto, Hades, whatever, she hasn't learned to _fly_ yet.

But Piper has. She'd done it ages ago, and her eagle was already soaring above the clouds, learning more and more new things in life. She had hatched earlier than any other Roman, and had begun to fly faster before most Romans hatch. Leo was just the same.

Greeks and Roman—that's two different things. One took things seriously, the other just does improv. One played by the rules, the other argues and screams before finally getting the big picture. It was weird how much he had become Greek as much as he was Roman.

He had learned to fly, just like Leo and Piper.

He smiled, as he remembered those times he shared with his two friends. The laughter and joy. His mind darted to an old memory, back when the three of them had just met. He remembered falling off the cliff with Piper in his arms.

He smiled sadly, knowing that that feelings of his would never be returned.

He stopped short as he stumbled onto the sand, as his body collided with another. "Sorry," he muttered, as the other voiced his at the same time.

_That voice_ . . . he knew that voice so well. "Piper?" he asked, as he rubbed his head, struggling to look up.

"Your head—it's hurt," he heard her say, and could feel her inching closer in the hot sand. His eyes, which were still fixed on the ground, saw her knees next to his leg, as her hands slowly massaged that bump on his head.

Some sort of liquid was poured onto his head, as he felt it burning his skin. It was cool, yet hot. It hurt, yet it healed the pain. Piper stopped pouring the liquid, as she tucked some sort of tiny bottle back in her pocket.

Jason lifted his head up, not wincing slightly. He smiled as he stared into those eyes of hers, not able to figure out what color they were.

"You OK?" her voice asked warily, as the two continued to stare into each other's eyes, transfixed.

Jason smiled, as he went to sit down properly. "I'm fine, you?"

"I'm fine, Jas. You were the one with the wound on your head," she laughed, and Jason couldn't help thinking how much her laugh sounded like ringing bells. "How you managed to do that just by bumping yourself into me, I have no idea. Only Zeus knows."

He laughed. It was a joke they shared together, just the two of them (actually, it was the three of them, with Leo as well, but the poor guy never got the joke). The phrase "Zeus knows" had been so popular at camp, and Jason had been pretty sure that his dad didn't know.

So naturally, Jason did what he always did. "I'm sure my dad doesn't know," he grinned, playing that little dialog of theirs.

Piper pretended to frown. "Seriously? Zeus, the almighty King of the Gods does _not_ know?"

"Yep," he answered, a playful smirk on his lips.

Piper smiled, and Jason decided that she was thinking about those days when the three of them used to spend as much time as they could together. Back before he left to go back to Camp Jupiter.

The Daughter of Aphrodite sat down properly on the sand, her snowboarding jacket on her lap.

Jason took in what she was wearing, noticing it was different from how she was dressing lately. She was normal again, but it was like she was hiding this side of her from everybody else.

Piper noticed the funny look on his face, and decided to start a conversation. "Hey, what's with Pegasus poop and Leo?"

The boy in front of her started to laugh, his voice filling in the crashes of the waves. His blue eyes twinkled in mischief as a crooked grin played on his lips. "I'd love to tell you Pipes, but I'd lose blackmail material."

"Hey, you're forgetting the fact I can tell the whole camp a little secret I know about you," she countered, a smirk playing on her own lips. "You'll lose your respect from the Ares campers."

Jason's grin faded. "Ah, you wouldn't do that, would you?"

Her eyes twinkled mischievously. She decided she'd been spending way too much time with Connor. "Catch me if you can!" she yelled, as she got to her feet and started racing down the beach, as if she was going to tell the world his little secret.

Jason smiled, and got up, racing after the Daughter of Aphrodite. For an Aphrodite girl, she was fast. His legs paced faster and faster, as the distance between the two of them slowly closed. He expanded his arms, and wrapped them around her waist, before pinning her to the ground.

"Caught you," he grinned, as he watched her eyes flash blue, then quickly to green. The two just stared at each other's eyes, not breaking the trance.

Piper was glad her sisters weren't seeing this, or they would scold her for getting out of plan. She smiled, as she watched his blue eyes scan her colorful eyes, as she stared into his own.

After a few minutes, probably five, Jason released his grip on her arms, and rolled over next to her. He stared at the sky, remembering the fact that that was his father's territory.

"That cloud looks like Travis after that Pie Eating Competition," her voice said, breaking the silence.

Jason followed where her finger was pointing, and stared at it too. He laughed. "Yeah," he agreed, and his eyes caught another cloud. "That one looks like Nico, right after Thalia smoke him."

It was her turn to laugh. "Hey, that one looks like Percabeth."

Jason turned his head towards her. "Percabeth?" he questioned, remembering the time when her sisters had squealed that name.

"Percy and Annabeth, a couple name my sisters thought up. Much easier than saying both their names," Piper explained, as she continued to star at the sky.

Jason never broke his gaze from her, as his mind slowly picked up the pieces. Percabeth wasn't a person; it was a couple's name. And long ago, her sisters mentioned Jasper. That wasn't a person either.

"Who's Jasper then?" he blurted, voicing his thoughts.

"Jasper?" Piper asked, snapping her head towards him. She found herself staring right back into those blue orbs. "According to my sisters, he's this, and I quote, 'this guy from the Apollo cabin, who Jessica thinks he's hot, but Austin thinks he's a total geek'."

Jason shook his head. "No, I mean, who's the couple?"

"Couple?"

Piper listened to the boy beside her, as he explained about the time her sisters had mentioned this 'Jasper' to him. Her eyes widened as she explained, her cheeks turning pink with every word.

"Got any ideas?" he ended, as his eyes scanned hers for answers. She knew something. Was she going to share them?

"Jason, I have to tell you something. The truth is—"

"Yo Piper!" she heard Leo's voice call out, cutting her. She rolled her eyes as the two demigods sat up, their heads snapping towards the third member of their group. "We have deliveries to deliver! Oh, and Jason, Lupa's planning to rip you to shreds if she finds your cabin empty in the next ten minutes! Don't ask how I know!"

Piper sighed, as she glanced at Jason one last time. The boy beside her did just the same, as they stared into each other's eyes one last time.

"Tell me later?"

"If I manage," Piper sighed, finally getting all the missing pieces to her puzzle. She stood up, and offered Jason a hand.

"Beauty queen! We really need to go!"

She sighed one last time, as she turned around, giving Jason one small smile. Her mind raced, wondering if she should give the chance or not. _Why not?_ she questioned herself, as she smiled.

She turned back, confusing the Son of Jupiter, and the Son of Hephaestus in the distance as well. Without thinking she crashed her lips onto his, giving him one short sweet kiss. "I love you, Jason Grace. Don't forget that," she whispered, before turning around and running off to do errands.

The Son of Jupiter slowly walked towards his cabin a little dazed, wondering what the Hades just happened.

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><p><strong>Was that cute? In my opinion, it was cute! Aaaaah! I can hardly believe it! I'm excited about my own chapter, LOL. Anyways, thanks for reading this so far :) I'm not going to post for another two days, due to some exams. So sorry starlighter :( But I'll try my best and post when possible.<strong>

**xoxo,  
>Sarah (winonabcd)<strong>

**P.S. Can you believe it? TSON is coming out tomorrow! (I'm writing this at 2 AM (Eastern Time) for those who are in America, but where I am, it's only 2 PM, LOL) AAAAAH! Gotta go eat lunch, I haven't eaten yet :)**

**P.P.S. Check out The Titans' Prisoners by Kjerstin Marie :) It's really epic, so check it out!**


	22. Chapter 20: Stuck in Bliss

**OK, I couldn't stand it. I _had_ to write another Jasper chapter. It was so cute! Anyways, thanks to those who reviewed the last chapter! At my place, it's two updates in a day ;) Hope you like this chapter!**

**Reply to Reviews****:**

**starlighter: This will give you more Aphrodite girl madness! And the ending might surprise you a little, LOL ;)**

**The Moonlit Waters: Seriously? You read that twice? LOL, as did I! And I realized that there was a few spelling mistakes there... oh well :P**

**YeE Haw: Here's a VIRTUAL COOKIE for your first review! (: :) I'm glad you liked it! More Jasper in this chapter :)**

**redlox2: That's exactly what's happening in here. And the last part of the chapter might surprise you... you'll find a mastermind who was working on her own, behind-the-scenes ;) And no, it's not Aphrodite/Venus, LOL**

**xXxDaughteroftheKingxXx: Hahahaha I'll tell you when I find the chords :P Hopefully soon... And I'll read HG when I go to the bookstore :) Hopefully (there's a lot of things I'm hoping for, huh? LOL) my dad will let me buy two books... I need to get on with the Maximum Ride (MR) series! And thanks!**

**ShadowNinja1011: LOL, I kinda figured that out XD Somehow, when I read your pen name, I think of Asian, though I have no idea why :P Anyways, I'm glad you liked it! M&M? (m) (m) (m)**

**angwyn: Aren't you supposed to be at school by now? Tsk, tsk XP I'm so stoked! I'm _so_ glad I found that loophole—I gotta thank jlmill9 for that :D This chapter is posted earlier than plan! I sent the link to your email, just in case :) GO JASPER!**

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><p><strong><em>With every tiny step comes a greater opportunity.<br>SEIZE IT._**

**_-winonabcd_**

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 20: Stuck in Bliss<span>

Piper stared at the sky as she walked through the sea of trees, the grass rustling beneath her feet. As the stars winked at her from the sky, she couldn't help thinking about the kiss she had shared with Jason earlier that day.

It was so magical, so mythical . . . it was truly _incredible_.

The moon glimmered in the sky, shining brightly, reminding her of the Hunters. Thalia wouldn't mind . . . would she? She remembered her offer to join the Hunters, and the reason she threw that opportunity aside.

One word entranced her, reminding her of a better purpose: Jason.

She smiled, as her cheeks grew pink. Despite the darkness, the stars and the moon were giving off just enough light for her cheeks to be visible. She sighed in content, acting like the daughter of Aphrodite she hadn't hoped to be.

Earlier that day, she had told Will all about what happened, and that she might cancel the plan. He was happy for her, and promised to mutter a single word to anyone at all.

Things couldn't just be better.

She shivered as the cold wind tingled her skin, as she dug her hands deeper inside her pockets. Her breath revealed a small puff of could, misty air, escaping her pink, lip-glossed lips.

Her sisters caught her red-handed when they saw her outfit, and rushed her inside before anyone noticed. They had given her a white T-shirt, with a hot pink vest on top. Her legs were covered in purple jeans, and her feet in her classic combat boots. That was the only good thing that came out of her outfit—to wear her favorite boots.

As she grew closer to Bunker 9, she could hear the soft panging of hammers as they collided with metals. She could hear the buzzing as sparks flew inside the cavern, fire erupting from the blowtorches being used.

She smiled, as she pressed the doorbell, the classic music ringing, before rock filled the air. The boulder slid open, as the torches inside flickered on, dancing before her eyes.

She took a careful step forward, before resuming to walk normally. Her footsteps echoed through the empty corridor, making the place feel the more eerie.

Soon, she was navigating her way through the maze, having memorized them like at the back of her hand. She caught Leo's brothers' knowing smiles, as his sisters greeted her as she entered, telling her how great of an actress she was.

She politely thanked them, before rushing towards the guarded area of Leo's place. Quickly deactivating them, she walked forward, placing her hand on the panel. The words CONFIRMED flashed before the screen, and the boulders burst open, to reveal the sounds of video games playing loudly inside.

She shook her head as she watched her two best friends pressed buttons rapidly on the game console, their characters shooting bullets out of their guns rapidly.

Jason turned to see who had entered, and met those eyes once again. He grinned, before pressing the _pause_ button on the console. "What brings you here?" he asked, an eyebrow raised.

"I have the right to actually _be_ in here, unlike you do," Piper countered, her eyes twinkling mischievously.

"Can you guys like flirt somewhere else? Jason and I have a game to finish," Leo complained, before taking in what he said. "Ah, never mind. If you flirt somewhere else, then that mean Jason's gone, and that means our game will never finish."

Piper laughed, grabbing a water bottle off a table, before chugging half of it. She put the bottle down gently. Her eyes watched Jason's for a while, telling him a message.

The boy nodded, understanding her. He got up, and walked over to her, taking her hand like it was a usual thing. He caught her cheeks flaring red, and chuckled under his breath. "Leo, we'll be right back," he told him.

"Oh, come on!" he wailed. "You're not supposed to take that first comment seriously!"

"Don't try anything!" Jason warned him, his voice getting louder as he started to leave the chamber.

Leo grinned, as if getting an idea. He grabbed Jason's console and pressed the _pause_ button again, un-pausing the game. In the distance, Jason heard the distant banging of machine guns and rapid explosions. Yep, his Player was getting _wiped_.

The two walked for a while, hand in hand, acting like a regular couple. They were unofficial, but after what happened, he felt like they _should_ be a couple, despite the fact that she was dating Will.

"Oh, yeah," he remembered, breaking the silence as he stopped walking. He noticed that they had reached the clearing where they used to hang out, climbing that one tree as they played with that one nymph. "You never finished telling me that thing from back at the beach."

Piper bit her lip, and he felt her hand clenched tighter around his. "Promise you won't yell?"

He smiled, and cupped her face with his other hand, as he watched her eyes dart towards his. "I promise." He gently placed a kiss on her lips, before pulling back. His eyes pleaded for her to tell him, and watched as his best friend took a deep breath, before letting the words flow out.

"Jason, the truth is, I wasn't dating Connor _or_ Will," she said, biting her lip. Jason remembered when he beat Connor up, and guilt started flooding him. The poor guy was in the infirmary for something he didn't do.

"I know that makes you feel guilty, but I guess I went overboard," she admitted, as she began her story from the night of the _Midnight Dance_, from when his friends had just arrived. "She challenged me, and I couldn't back down. I couldn't lose you—not when I thought I was so close."

His hands pushed a strand of hair away from her face, revealing those colorful eyes of hers. "And I thought _I _was the one losing you," he chuckled, and Piper had to giggle to that.

She rested her head on his chest, her eyes staring at their tree. She felt his head on top of hers, as his hands snaked around her waist, securing her safely. "Jas, tell me the truth," she pleaded from where she was. "Did you ever like Reyna?"

"Once," he answered truthfully. Her heart sank slowly, wondering if he was still falling for her now. "But that was before I met you."

She lifted her head to meet his eyes, and watched as his lips formed into a sweet smile. "Break up with her," Piper commanded, which was pretty straight forward if you asked me.

Jason laughed, as he rested his forehead on hers. Their eyes met, and Jason swore that he was falling in love all over again. "That was already on my To-Do list, Pipes."

She smiled, as she tiptoed slightly to get closer to him. They both leaned in, and the gap between them closed slowly. Sparks rushed within her veins as their lips connected, and her mind melted right through her body.

Her hands found their way to his neck curling around them as her fingers started to tangle themselves in his beautiful blond hair.

His hands pulled her closer, deepening the kiss. In the distance, she could hear her mother squealing, tears of happiness rushing down her beautiful face, as she jumped up and down, not breaking a heel.

After what seemed eternity, they pulled back, as their breaths grew heavy. Jason gave her one last smile, before releasing his hands from her waist, and grabbing on to her hand once more. He intertwined their fingers, as he felt Piper's other fingers untangle themselves from his blond hair.

They started to walk back to the Bunker, her head on her shoulder, with the squealing Aphrodite far behind them. "You know, it just feels wrong kissing my best friend," he said cheekily, a smirk playing on his lips.

Piper laughed from his shoulder, sending tingles of electricity down his spine. He shivered slightly in delight, but her head stayed on his shoulder.

"That's the truth," she agreed, her eyes still fixed on the road ahead. "So, what does this make us?"

"Jasper," he answered, and the two of them laugh at their couple name.

"You know, you're technically cheating on Reyna, right?"

"She never existed."

"Harsh," she pointed out, her eyebrow raised at him as she took her head off his shoulder.

He shrugged. "You know you're ten times more beautiful, right?"

"Yeah, I got the math figured out," Piper teased, pushing him slightly.

Jason pushed her back playfully, and soon they were acting like old time friends. Except this time was different. This time, they were _Jasper_.

Suddenly, their bodies crashed onto the ground, Jason a little harder than Piper. They both rolled over so that they were facing the sky, only to meet the mischievous eyes of their best friend.

"If you guys wanted to have a face-plant, you could've asked me. I'm happy to help!" They laughed, as the Son of Hephaestus helped the couple up on their feet.

"Do that again, and I'll be will to share my girlfriend that Pegasus poop story," Jason smirked, as Leo's eyes grew wide in horror.

"Oh, please, do share," Piper laughed, as Leo squeezed in between the two of them, grabbing them by the shoulders.

"Ladies, ladies! We should not embarrass the Master Leo here, shall we?"

He fell flat on the ground. He rubbed his head and looked up, to see his two companions laughing hard.

"That was for calling me a 'lady', Valdez," Jason grinned, while Piper just smirked.

"Oh, and if you were talking about that time the Pegasus pooped on you, then I know about it." Leo's eyes grew wide in horror, realizing _both_ his friends had blackmail material. "The entire Aphrodite cabin saw." Yep, his life was _so_ great.

The three friends walked down the forest path, their laughter echoing in the air as they reminisce the funniest moments of their lives.

Aphrodite smiled in the distance, a knowing smile on her face as she shimmered into Venus, her Roman counterpart. She smiled proudly at _both_ her daughters, proud that they had accomplished something in their lives.

She was proud of Piper, for being a woman and taking the first move—something that most girls didn't do these days.

And she was proud of her other daughter, who put aside her differences with Piper, and helped formed her _own_ behind-the-scenes plan. She was proud of Drew, for making Jasper come alive.

* * *

><p><strong>So how was that? Tell me your thoughts by clicking the blue button below. Like I said in the last chapter, I might not be updating until Wednesday night, but that'll be Wednesday morning for all you Americans :)<strong>

**I hope you liked my quote at the top! It was my own, and I thought of it in a flash. Though I'm not sure if someone made that quote, and I never realized it. Oh well!**

**xoxo,  
>Sarah (winonabcd)<strong>

**Cause  
><strong>**Angels  
>Really<br>Exist**

**#CARE**


	23. EPILOGUE

**First of all, I want to say sorry for not updating in AGES! School's been piling me with stress, so I couldn't exactly update :( This is the last of the story, and the chapter after this is a DELETED SCENE that I thought you might enjoy :) Just so you know, it was really hard for me to write this, considering the fact that I've rewritten it five times :P I hope you like the Epilogue and I hoped you enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it! Love you all! PEACE! XP**

**Reply to Reviews****:**

**CimFan: Thanks for the lesson! I'll try to remember them, LOL. Thank you so much for reviewing all the way :) Here's a VIRTUAL COOKIE for the motivation and inspirations you gave me (whether you realize it or not) :) God bless!**

**redlox2: Thank you! I was wondering if I actually came up with it, or if I found it somewhere, but I'm pretty sure I came up with it :) I keep a list of quotes I wrote in my phone :D There's another quote down below, so I hope you liked it as well ;) Here's a VIRTUAL COOKIE for the motivation and inspirations you gave me! Thanks for reviewing all the way—it means so much to me 3 (: :)**

**The Moonlit Waters: Well, if you want the answer to that question, then you'll just have to wait until I post the sequel! But you already knew that, so yeah... here, have a VIRTUAL COOKIE for reviewing all the way and being such an awesome friend (: :) Thanks for the motivations, inspirations and praises you gave me :) Love you!**

**Agana of the night: It's totally fine :) I'm glad you reviewed though! Have a VIRTUAL COOKIE for reviewing and motivation you gave me! (: :)**

**ffsah1: It's fine :) And this is the final chapter of the story :( I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did writing it :) There _will_ be a sequel, but to find out more, you'll have to scroll down to the _very bottom_. And thanks for reviewing! Here's a VIRTUAL COOKIE (: :)**

**Mythology3: I'll use that name in the sequel, no worries ;) And you've got a dress for Piper? Can you send me the link/description? I might use it in the following story :D Here's a VIRTUAL COOKIE for being an awesome reviewer! Thank you for all the motivation and inspiring ideas you gave me! (: :)**

**giselle: To see Jason's reaction, you'll have to wait. I'm going to focus on my other story, so the sequel might not come out in a while :( But thank you so much for reading! Here's a VIRTUAL COOKIE for being a great reviewer! (: :) HUGS!**

**Aeron Thana: Hahahahaha Well, the story is coming to an end, so I'm afraid the story ends here :( But I did enjoy writing it, and I hope you did as well (well, reading it, not writing it. So yeah...) Thank you so much for sticking by me and reviewing! Have a VIRTUAL COOKIE (: :) !**

**ShadowNinja1011: I have no idea! Hahahahaha I guess when I think about ninjas, it reminded me of how my cousin and I liked to pretend to be ninjas as kids :) And considering the fact that we're both Asian... well, now you know :) Thanks for reading and reviewing! Here's a VIRTUAL COOKIE! (: :)**

**lala45768: Sorry for not updating sooner :( My school is literally killing me. My Math teacher's gone insane—she piled us with three pages of fractions every week! The topic was a sixth grade topic, but my Math teacher noticed that we always used calculators whenever we get to fraction/decimal problems. The only reason was because we were all to lazy to count with our brains :P Anyways, thanks for reading and reviewing, and for sticking by me all through the way! Have a VIRTUAL COOKIE! (: :)**

**Annabeth Athena Chase: Thank YOU for reviewing! Have a VIRTUAL COOKIE! (: :) If you want to see Reyna's reaction on Jasper, I'm afraid you'll have to wait for the sequel :( I'm glad you loved it! Thanks again!**

**EvilAndProudOfIt: Hahahahaha I loved that little drama fest! It was awesome ;) Reyna _does_ need anger management classes... _anyways_, I've just realized I've gone OOC withe Reyna, but who cares, right? LOL Here's a VIRTUAL COOKIE (: :) ! I'm currently reading "The Doors of Death", and I'll try to finish the chapter asap. Right now, I gotta go and finish replying the reviews, and then head off to watch a movie. SMURFS! THEY'RE SO ADORABLE! (Sorry, but in my country, the movie just came out, like, on Friday :P)**

**valerie325: No, that wasn't the last chapter. _This _is the last chapter, as sad as it is :( However, there _will_ be a sequel, but I don't own anything there :P And yes, I'm a pearlshipper :) Are you? Have a VIRTUAL COOKIE for reading the _whole_ story and for reviewing! (: :) 3 you!**

**xXxDaughteroftheKingxXx: Maybe I should clear one thing out :P Drew is not Roman. But she managed to pull this _whole_ story, including the drama, from behind the scenes, acting like two masterminds at the same time. Even I'm not sure how that was possible, but she did it anyways, right? And Venus was there, because if it was Aphrodite... well, let's just say the creatures of the forest are _not_ gonna like the screeching sound ;) Thanks for reading the whole way through, and for reviewing as well! Here's a VIRTUAL COOKIE for all the motivation, inspirations, praises, and constructive criticism you gave me! (: :) God bless!**

**Tally Jennifer Youngblood: Thankyouthankyouthankyou for helping me with the sequel! Like I promised, I'll give you full credit :) And thank you so much for reading, reviewing, motivating, and inspiring me! Have a VIRTUAL COOKIE, my friend! (: :)**

**daughterofposeidon99: Thank you so much for reading and reviewing! Congratulations on your win! Now the post-play continues... [why don't you write Percy and your part, while I write mine, huh? It's easier, and I _really_ wanna hear _your_ ideas :P] AT THE ARENA... (Piper) Hey Sar :) (Me) Hey Piper :) How's _Jason_? (Piper) *blushes* uh, what'd you mean? (Me) You know what I mean. (Piper) Well... he's... fine. (Me) *facepalms*By the gods, Piper, that's not what I mean! (Jason walks in and sees moi) (Jason) Oh... hi couz... (Me) Well Jason, how's _Piper_? (Jason) Sarah, you _do_ know that she's standing right beside you, right? You can ask her directly :) (Me) Oh gods *facepalms again* :DDDD**

**StephDaughterofPoseidon: Wow. Another half-sister! Hahahaha I'm sure you already know that I'm Percy's twin ;) At least, in my brain I am... _anyways,_ thanks so much for reviewing! Have a VIRTUAL COOKIE! (: :) Oh, and can I see that drawing of yours? I love to draw, but I don't sketch people cuz I'm deadly terrible at it XD Thanks again!**

**XxForeseeingHadesFuturexX: Don't worry, it's fine ;) The spaces thing I mean. I'm rushing to reply this, because I _seriously_ gotta go soon. Anyways, thanks so much for reading! And I'll check it out. Just remind me, LOL. Have a VIRTUAL COOKIE! (: :)**

**TwinkleLights123: _This_ is the end of the story. But no worries! There _will_ be a sequel! Have a VIRTUAL COOKIE! (: :) GOD BLESS!**

**angwyn: Heeeeey! Thanks so much for reading! Have a VIRTUAL COOKIE (: :) And I _really _enjoyed our video chat. Wish there was less awkward silence though XD And it was nice meeting your sister ;) Oh, and tell her I said "Happy Belated Birthday!" I forgot to mention that, LOL :P**

**Me: Thank you! I'm glad you liked that part ;) My sister probably thinks is gooey and stuff, but who cares :P She's just a kid LOL. VIRTUAL COOKIE time! (: :)**

**TheGirlWhoWantedToCry: Thanks for reading! Have a VIRTUAL COOKIE! (: :) Oh, and I've finished TSON already ;)**

**starlighter: Sorry for not updating earlier! School was killing me, but finally I can update! hahahaha I love that #CARE thing too :) It's actually this group we used to have at our church, where the teens go around the city where we live and help the sick and the needy. It was a lot of fun :) VIRTUAL COOKIES to you! (: :)**

**LizzyWasHere: And you just gave moi the idea! I'm going to credit you for the title ;) Here's a VIRTUAL COOKIE for being an awesome reviewer! (: :)**

**Kaycee: I KNOW! I'VE READ THE THING ALREADY! THE WHOLE THING IN 7 HOURS! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? ANYWAYS, HAVE A VIRTUAL COOKIE (: :) Now I gotta go :) Sorry for such a short reply, but I'm in a rush :P**

**demigod surpreim: Thank you! VIRTUAL COOKIE! (: :)**

**Broken hearted girl Horn: I'm so glad to hear that! I hope you like living with your new family :) Anyways, I _did_ receive it, but I didn't get how to accept it :/ I was so restless, that I searched and searched and found an eBook online. Sorry I didn't use it :( How do you send it back? I didn't quite get that... VIRTUAL COOKIE (: :)**

**but-thatsjustme-dealwithit: OK, I'll PM you the lyrics ;) Have a VIRTUAL COOKIE (: :)**

**roach26: Dude, I already sent you the details -_- Oh, and one more thing... the seventh is ANNABETH, no IFs, BUTs, or protests :P And since you agreed to end this, there won't be anymore protests, kay? Kay XD VIRTUAL COOKIE (: :) Thanks for reading and for being a great friend :)**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Everyone is like a single snowflake;<br>Each one of them different, each one unique.**_

_**-winonabcd**_

* * *

><p><span>EPILOGUE<span>

Piper smiled, letting the sunlight burst through the windows. The snow fell slowly onto the white-covered ground, as ice glistened on the trees. Birds were chirping in the distance, and Piper thought things couldn't have been better.

She slipped into the bathroom, preparing for the day's events.

Outside, her brothers and sisters were rushing around, throwing clothes all over the place as they tried to come up with a Christmas-y outfit.

Drew shook her head as she held up a lacy red shirt. She threw the shirt aside, searching for a perfect Christmas outfit.

"When do you think Jasper's going to happen?" her younger sister asked her, her blue orbs shining in the winter sunlight.

Drew smiled knowingly, winking at the younger girl. "Don't worry, Lace. It'll happen _soon_," she promised. _More like now_, she silently thought, a grin appearing on her lips.

Suddenly, an idea popped in her head, as she threw a red tank top aside for the moment. "Lacy! I have an idea." She motioned her sister to come closer, as she whispered the plan inside her ear.

Piper came out of the bathroom, her hair soaking wet. She ran a brush through her chocolate-brown locks, after patting it softly with a towel.

In the corner, her two sisters were whispering quietly, knowing smiles plastered on their faces. She raised an eyebrow at them, but decided that it was probably nothing.

"Cabin 10, fall in!" she ordered, raising her voice above the loud chattering between the children of Aphrodite/Venus.

Her siblings fell into a line, marching out of the cabin. As they reached their table in the dining pavilion, they dispersed, sitting among the little groups there was.

She caught Jason's eye and gave him a small smile, which he kindly returned.

* * *

><p>Breakfast was a blur to Piper's mind, as the day sped. She couldn't remember the day's activities. All she knew that somehow, she had managed to arrive back at the beach.<p>

The wispy summer breeze that now can only be found in the sandy area blew through her hair, running through those strands of chocolate brown. Her kaleidoscope eyes focused themselves on the sand below, watching as her feet made footsteps in the sand below.

Strong arms wrapped themselves around her waist, dragging her closer to the warm body behind her. She knew who it was—the best person on earth.

"What are you doing here?" his deep voice asked, mesmerizing her as it dragged her to dreamland.

She just smiled and turned, pecking him on the lips. "The question is what are _you_ doing here?"

Jason just smiled, tucking a strand of brown hair behind her ear, as he stared into those colorful orbs. "Escaping prison to see you," he whispered, getting closer to the beautiful girl before him.

Their foreheads touched, and Piper couldn't help but laugh and stare back into those electric blue pools. Her laughter filled the air, being the only sound for miles and miles.

"That was sweet, but corny," she commented, moistening her lips. Jason pecked her lips once more. "But it was perfect."

"'Cause I'm perfect," Jason winked, and Piper only laughed as they walked away from the beach, hand-in-hand.

The sun set behind them, casting their shadows on the soft ground below. The sand slowly faded and turned to snow, as Piper slipped her feet back inside her combat boots to keep the warm.

Summer breezes changed to cold, freezing wind, blowing in several directions at once. Tiny snowflakes fell on Piper's head, tiny white specks floating above her hair.

Jason led her to the amphitheater, where a large bonfire was lit in the center of the area. Its golden flames blew, turning slightly pink at the edges.

Piper smiled, as the couple sat down close to the burning hot flames in front of them. His arm wrapped itself around her waist, as she scooted closer and laid her head on his shoulder.

"Hey, Pipes?" Jason asked, whispering above the cold wind.

Piper looked up to see a dazzling smile, full of love and comfort. She gave him a kiss on the cheek, motioning him to go on.

His hand slipped into his pocket, pulling out a tiny box. It was wrapped in blue, a silver bow on top. Piper raised an eyebrow as her tiny fingers reached out of it, tightening on the cube-like object.

"Open it," Jason urged, watching as her delicate fingers pulled the ribbon away, unwrapping the box. Beneath the paper was a cardboard box from Leo's company. Her breath was taken away when she saw the item inside. A silver chain was hidden beneath the papers inside the box, a single heart hanging at the bottom.

On the heart, her name was printed in cursive, with sparkling blue diamonds forming them. She opened the heart to see two pictures: on the left was a picture of the trio, laughing as they rowed the boat round and round around the camp lake. On the right, Jason had managed to find an old picture of the two of them, sitting at a fire on top of the _Argo II_.

"Jason . . ." she breathed, not able to thank him. "It's beautiful."

"Perfect for a girl like you," he said, his eyes twinkling with happiness. "I'm glad you're mine."

Piper laughed. "Sooner or later, you'll be using those corny pick-up lines," she joked, poking him the stomach.

"Nah," he objected, pulling her chin closer to his face. His warm breath tingled her skin, as sparks flew in the air. In the distance, fireworks exploded in the sky, as demigods _ooh-ed_ and _aah-ed _from their different places.

Their lips connected, and Piper's own firework show exploded in her stomach. Butterflies crawled down to her stomach, joining the raging song of the fireworks. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer to her, deepening the breath-taking touch.

Drew and Lacy smiled in the distance, high-fiving each other. "The fireworks only makes things more romantic," the older demigod whispered, while the younger silently nodded.

"What do you think would happen to Reyna?" the younger replied, catching a dark figure in the distance, belonging to the praetor of the Twelfth Legion.

Drew just shrugged, and watched as the jealous girl slipped away into the darkness. She tugged her sister's sleeve, pulling her away from the Jasper scene. "Come on," she urged. "Give them some space."

Lacy spared one last look at her sister and new boyfriend, before joining the other one into the darkness of Camp Half-Blood.

Piper smiled as she leaned closer, thinking of how true her father's words were. Christmas _does_ give you miracles, don't they?

* * *

><p><strong>That's it for this story, but there <em>will<em> be a sequel called "Reyna's Revenge!" Thanks to _LizzyWasHere_ for coming up with the title and giving me the idea to make a sequel, and thanks to _Tally Jennifer Youngblood_ for helping me figure out the plot! I'll give credits to the both of you! **

**Thank you all for reading this! You don't know how much it means to me to finally reach my goal of 300 reviews! Every time I read your reviews, my writing is improved and inspired, because of all your motivation. Thank you, and GOD BLESS US ALL!**

**xoxo,  
>Sarah (winonabcd)<strong>

**P.S. I do hope you like the DELETED SCENE in the next chapter :)**

* * *

><p><strong>ADVERTISEMENT:<strong>

**The Titans' Prisoners by Kjerstin Marie**

**World: Percy Jackson and the Olympians**

**Rating: T**

**Summary: After the second titan war, everyone thinks that everything is normal once again. That is, until campers end up missing or turn up dead. Nothing unusual, right? Wrong. What will Connor Stoll and the rest of CHB do to save the ones they love? What about the Romans?**

**Character(s): Connor S.**

**THE TITANS' PRISONERS: CHAPTER 1: TEASER**

_**"Heroes," Chiron acknowledged them grimly as they entered.**_

_**Travis got an unsettling feeling in the pit of his stomach, like he knew he was gonna lose the bet.**_

_**"Now that we're all here, I'd like to address the problem at hand," he continued.**_

_**"Which would be…?" Clarisse droned, her feet propped against the ping pong table, tossing a knife up in the air, watching it go end over end, before catching it by the hilt repeatedly. Completely unaware (or uncaring) of the agitated and worried glances everyone in her immediate vicinity was shooting her.**_

_**"Many campers have gone missing as of late, their whereabouts are unknown."**_


	24. BONUS CHAPTER: DELETED SCENE

_Before reading, please take note that this is a BONUS part, having little relation to the story. Thank you._

* * *

><p><span>BONUS CHAPTER: DELETED SCENE: OF SNOW FORTS AND BATTLES<span>

"Ready, aim, fire!"

Leo was running back and forth between the three forts, as Piper reloaded the snowball cannon the Hephaestus cabin invented that morning. That's right. Cabin 9 had managed to forge _three_ _live-sized cannons_ in less than _three hours_. That's something.

The fire user was their only secret weapon, as he raced down the enemy lines, dodging the snowball attacks from the opposing team. There was only one rule established: there were no rules.

Piper watched as one of Leo's siblings fell to ground, indicating that they had lost one more player for their team. She looked at the sidelines, to see six people who had 'died' from her team, while the other had only sacrificed three 'souls'.

Connor Stoll smirked from where he was, as he shot a giant snowball at Piper's direction. She screamed, as she ducked, watching as part of their fort fell apart.

This fort wasn't going to last any longer. One more blow from the enemies' cannons (the Hermes cabin had found two old cannons somehow) and _BOOM!_ It's the end of her protection.

She hurriedly removed the cannon from the fort, wheeling it over to where Nyssa was handling another cannon.

"Nyssa, think you can handle it?" she asked, crouching below the boxed walls made out of snow.

The Daughter of Hephaestus just nodded, smirking. "Go get them, Piper," she ordered, as the latter smiled back at her, racing out of the room of snow. She crouched down the hole at the side of the left wall, pulling out her dagger from her belt.

Jason watched from his cabin's window as his girlfriend raced down the cabin areas, confronting the enemy lines. If she fell on the snow, she'd be 'dead'. Out of the game.

He prayed to every god he knew that she wouldn't fall. His blue eyes watched as the Daughter of the Goddess of Beauty crossed the border.

Piper knew they were at a disadvantage. The Stolls had gathered up a good team. Percy and Annabeth were there, along with her boyfriend's sister, Thalia Grace. She knew the real reason Thalia joined the Stolls' team was the fact that _Nico_ was in _her_ team, meaning that Percy _and_ Thalia had yet another chance to ruin his life. She chuckled at the thought, as she scanned her surroundings.

Travis ran towards her, his sword high up in the air. Piper lifted her dagger, blocking his strike. She ducked below the connection of the blades, and with one quick move, she gave him a cut on his upper arm. Using the hilt of her blade, she pushed him down, 'killing' him in the process.

"Leo, Travis's down!" she informed him, as her feet raced closer towards the enemy forts.

Their plan was stupid and was pretty much impossible. She noticed how _half_ of her team was 'dead', as she spared a glance at the sidelines. Nine was out of the game. Only nine of them were left.

Yet, the enemy still had Connor, Percy, Annabeth, Thalia, Will Solace, Katie Gardner, Chris Rodriguez, Miranda Gardiner, Clarisse La Rue, Pollux from the Dionysus cabin, Austin and Kayla from the Apollo cabin. They had three more men than they had.

"Connor, left flank!" Annabeth yelled, as she slashed at one of Leo's brothers, toppling him to the ground. Great. Their chances were getting smaller.

Piper ducked below Pollux's swing, as she dodged more and more attacks as possible. "Coward!" Clarisse yelled at her, but she didn't respond.

_Only one foot to go,_ she told herself, pumping her feet faster. Her breath grew heavy in the cold weather, as her fingers froze around her grip of her dagger.

Jason watched as Piper fought bravely, dodging attack after attack. His sister drew her arrow and got ready to aim at Nico. He smiled, reading Piper's tactics. It was as clear as day. How can Annabeth have _not_ seen it?

"Now, Nico!" she ordered, watching as the younger demigod thrust his sword to the ground. As soon as the Stygian Iron met the ground, bony hands rose up, pulling themselves out of the ground.

Their bones formed, revealing the body of a skeleton. They waited for their master's signal, before Nico snapped at them to attack.

The battle was in a fury, like a blur to Jason's eyes. He watched from the confined walls of his cabin as Leo blew up the first fort, fire erupting from his hands. The flames danced on his fingertips, melting the white solid in front of him, revealing Katie Gardner who was hiding inside.

She flicked her wrist, and vines curled around his body, slowly lifting him up into the air. The Son of Hephaestus screamed for help, his hands trying to burn the plant to shreds.

Pollux appeared, as he helped the Daughter of Demeter, curling more vines around Leo. Piper and Nico exchanged a nod, and Nico sent three of his skeletons to free Leo.

The Daughter of Aphrodite noticed that their forts were still in contact, as the enemies tried to defend their area. Five of her team was back in defense, as the three of them (technically, Leo was too busy flailing in the air) charged at offense.

Piper searched for the entrance of the second fort, ready to bring out whoever was inside. Her eyes scanned for trapdoors or holes, watching her surroundings at the same time.

Leo didn't have much strength left. His face was getting pale, and he was choking for air. Katie and Pollux just tightened their fists, as the vines gripped onto Leo tighter. They both raised their fists, bringing Leo further into the air.

Then Piper saw it: a small area of ice, waiting to be kicked aside to be used as an entrance. Leo's screams were muffled in her ears, as her eyes scanned the ice carefully

"Beauty queen!" Leo choked, as he shot up another feet into the air. He looked down, noticing he was ten feet up. He coughed and spit, trying to grasp for air.

Piper hesitated. Leo was in trouble, but they were _this_ close to winning. Her eyes caught a skeleton nearby. Using her knife, she smashed the ice open, before turning her head to the skeleton.

"Go," she commanded, putting as much force in her voice as possible. She didn't know if she could charmspeak a skeleton, but it was worth a shot. She knew only Nico could command them, but the Son of Hades was too far away. "Get the person inside, and bring him out of the game."

The skeleton seamed to be in a trance, as it obeyed what Piper had told it to do. It crouched down, getting down on its knees crawling inside. "Whoa!" a guy's voice said, but a giant _thud_ was heard shortly after. That was another guy out of the picture.

Piper raced towards Leo, wondering how to get him out. She pondered over the question for a while, but finally decided. She'll just have to wing it.

She grabbed Katoptris and ran straight for the vines. Its sharp edges cut the plants to shreds, as her friend fell from ten feet up. "Leo!" she yelled. If he fell onto the ground, he'll probably break every bone in his body

Piper's eyes scanned the area, searching for something that could help. Her eyes stop at the window of the Zeus cabin, meeting her love's eyes. _Jason_, she pleaded, her eyes sending him the message. _Work a miracle_.

Jason smirked from his cabin, and opened the window a smidge. He concentrated on the winds around Leo, as the pushed faster and faster towards the ground. _No_, he commanded._ Let him drop soft and steady. Onto his feet_.

The winds obeyed, as Leo's fall slowed down. The Son of Hephaestus wondered how the Hades he was OK, when he met his best friend's eyes, watching as his fingers shut his cabin's window.

_Thanks man_, he mouthed, grinning like a maniac.

_No problem_, he mouthed back.

Leo faced Piper once again. "So, are we going to do this or not?"

Piper chuckled. "You're late. We already won," she pointed out, and Leo turned to see Nico laughing at Percy and Thalia, whom he had managed to defeat. The two older cousins glared at the tiny one, and shared a knowing look.

Nico took one look at their faces, and fled to the forests.

"Man, that was _awesome_!" Piper heard, and turned to see the Romans watching their victory. Frank Zhang was walking towards them, his hand in Hazel's dark one. "The whole fire thing was just . . . and then you Nico . . . AWESOME!"

Hazel shook her head, and mouthed _sorry_ to Piper, who just laughed. "Don't you do this at your place?"

The Son of Mars shook his head. "Nah," he replied. "War games, sure. Games for fun . . . not exactly."

"The way you fought was different as well," Hazel noted. "I mean, us Romans . . . we work as a team. Meanwhile, you guys are acting like it's 'every guy for himself' out there, but you're working as a team at the same time."

"I don't get you, but I'm going to pretend I did so I'll look smart," Leo commented, which earned him a slap.

The four demigods watched as the sun set in the distance, reminding them that Christmas was almost over. Piper bit her lip, as her hand felt lighter than it was supposed to be. After all that fun, she still felt like something was missing that Christmas.

"I'll be right back guys," she told them, and ran off towards the distance.


	25. AUTHOR'S NOTE: SEQUEL IS UP!

**BIG NEWS!**

**REYNA'S REVENGE IS FINALLY UP! CHECK IT OUT: h t t p : / / w w w . f a n f i c t i o n . n e t / s / 7 5 3 0 9 1 6 / 2 /**

**P.S. Don't forget to erase the spaces!**

**xoxo,  
>Sarah (winonabcd) <strong>


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